Hilary’s cancer story: Gleevec totally saved my life

Posted by Justin Goldsborough | 0 comments

Mar 28, 13

I am honored to be a 2013 candidate for the Leukemia Lymphoma Society Man/Woman of the Year campaign. Each year, 25-30 individuals dedicate 10 weeks (March 7-May 23 this year) to reach out to their community and raise more than $500,000 for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS). I will be sharing a cancer story each week of the campaign — some about leukemia and lymphoma and some about other types of cancer — to raise awareness. Please consider sharing your stories in the comments and donating to my LLS MWOY campaign.

2008 should have been a year to remember for Hilary Wingate. And it was. For some really great reasons. And one life-changing one.

Things started off well in April when Kansas beat North Carolina in the Final Four and eventually won the national championship. Hilary is a diehard KU fan, but went to grad school at North Carolina and her husband, Johnathan, was a former manager of the Tar Heels basketball team.

“They say the first year of marriage is the most challenging, but we figured that game would be the toughest part,” she joked. “We usually just give the other one a day or two when one team loses in the tournament.”

A few months after the Jayhawks cut down the nets, things got even better when Hilary and Jonathan were married. But three months later, the unthinkable happened.

At her regular well-woman exam, Hilary asked her doctor about some bruising she’d noticed. She’s fair skinned like my wife is, so she thought it just might be that — Maggie bruises easily too. But the answer she got from her doctor wasn’t what she expected.

“The doctor had me do labs and my white blood cell count was 447,000; normal is 15,000,” Hilary said. “I was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML). Nothing can prepare you to be told you have cancer. They told me to go home and pack my bag because I could be here awhile.”

At the time, Hilary worked as a physical therapist at in-patient rehab at KU Hospital — she still does today. So she had seen plenty of patients check in to the hospital who weren’t really sure when they were leaving or if they’d leave. Even some leukemia patients. She remembers trying to pack that night and not even knowing where to start.

Who could blame her? Who wouldn’t be scared? Her mom’s mom had died of leukemia when her mom was 11. She’d only been married a few months. Fear of the unknown is a scary thing.

But this is where the story gets pretty incredible. Hilary was released from the hospital just four days after being admitted. That was the first day she took Gleevec — a cancer drug created by Novartis that has proven to neutralize the progression of CML in the patients who can handle taking it.

“Prior to the development of Gleevec, CML patients had a very poor outcome,” Hilary said. “About 50 percent of patients can tolerate it. I feel very blessed.”

She never actually felt bad. Never had to undergo chemo. Was back at work within a week and half of being diagnosed. And today lives a completely normal life except for having quarterly doctor’s appointments, all of which Johnathan still attends with her.

“Gleevec totally saved my life,” she said. “That first year you wonder – Is this my last birthday? Is this my last Christmas? Had I been diagnosed 10 years earlier, I might not be around.”

Hilary’s LLS MWOY class raised more than $500,000 for blood cancer research.

Ponder that statement from this young, vibrant person who spent more timne during our conversation talking about one day having a family and her upcoming trip to South Africa instead of an upcoming cancer treatment. And then ponder this:

Gleevec exists because of cancer research that was funded by the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society (LLS).

Makes it pretty easy to see why the work LLS does really matters, right? I think that’s one of the toughest things about picking a cause to support — which ones really make a difference. You’d be hard pressed to find anyone who’d say saving Hilary’s life — and so many other lives of patients with blood cancer — doesn’t qualify.

Today, the cancer isn’t completely gone from Hilary’s system. But she’s in remission to the point where it’s almost nonexistent. The doctors haven’t recommended any lifestyle changes for her. She even talks about feeling guilty because her treatment has been so smooth. Just a pill each day with breakfast, and she can go on with her life.

Last year, Hilary took part in the LLS Man/Woman of the Year campaign. Her class of candidates raised more than $500,000 for cancer research, far and away the most money any local class has raised.

“It’s one of the most amazing things I’ve ever been a part of,” she said. “I have been extremely fortunate and I have a story to tell. Other people with leukemia are fighting for their life. I can fight for LLS and a cure.”

And that’s what Hilary does these days. She’s involved in the LLS Black Tie Ball auction committee. And she raises awareness and money for blood cancers through the Light the Night Walk.

“I joke that I’m the poster child for how LLS can saves lives,” she said. “But it’s true.”