Travel of immunity, remission and spokesman

Can you share a little about yourself, your origin and what attracted you to raise awareness about T cell therapy?

I am Laurie Adami. I had a long career in financial services, grew up in the northeast and finally moving to Los Angeles. For over 24 years I worked for the startup of the financial software and I became president in the 1990s. Life was occupied – I managed a company, traveled a lot and raised my son, born in 2000.

In 2006, when I was 46, I was diagnosed with a lymphoma with the IV follicle, which is the second most -diagnosed non -Heloic lymphoma. It is considered curable but incurable. At that time, there was only one approved treatment, R-chop, which I went through. My oncologist thought that I was in remission, but unfortunately I interrupted a few months later, starting a 12-year journey, passing a total of seven lines of therapy, including three clinical trials.

In 2018, the Tar cell therapy was opened in UCLA – I would be the first of five patients in the first group. I participated in the event of the Society of Society of Lymfomia and Lymphoma I heard that I participated, but it was not available for follicular lymphoma until 2018. In a month of treatment I was in complete remission after 12 years of treatment that, at best, I stabilized my disease. This experience caused me a passion for raising consciousness about the therapy of T car cells, because far too many patients do not know that this is an option.

Can you explain what T Car cell therapy is and how it differs from traditional cancer therapies?

T Car cell therapy is unique because it is personalized. Unlike traditional treatments, such as chemotherapy, which comes out of the factory production line, because one size matches everyone, Car T begins with the patient’s own immune cells.

The AFERETA center collects the patient’s T cells, modifies them in the laboratory to refer to the patient’s cancer, and then pours him into the patient. Those modified Cells T. Car-T (T cells of chemical antigen receptor) act like a PAC-Man, hunting and destroying cancer cells, wherever they are, even in the brain. The Car-T cell production process took about 18 days from the time they collected my cells until they were ready for infedation. Over 6 years later, the production process was shortened.

It is amazing how effective Car-T is. My millions of T cells were transformed into a billion t -cars in the laboratory, and then they repeated in my body to about 18 billion cells. This is an amazing example of what science can do. The examination of the car in which I participated had a general 95% response indicator and a total remission rate of over 80% in patients with NHL follicles. This amazing result was much better than any other approved treatment option. As a result, FDA quickly moved to approve treatment.

How did the diagnosis occur and what symptoms led to it?

Like most patients with non -Hot lymphoma, I was diagnosed at stage IV. Usually there are no symptoms early – over 90% of NHL patients are diagnosed at stage IV. To say, I had symptoms since 2003 – summarizing sinus infections, dry eyes, swollen node in the neck, a lump in the stomach and extreme fatigue.

I went to many doctors, but they slowed me down, saying that they were probably allergies, hormones or simply stress. Finally, I found a specialist in internal medicine who took me seriously. He ordered a CT scan, which showed a mass of grapefruit in my stomach. The biopsy has confirmed that I have a follicular non -board lymphoma.

It took me three years to diagnose, but in retrospect, this delay was in my favor. Before I started treating, newer, more targeted therapies became available.

What was your experience in car cell therapy?

On the night in which I got the cells of T car, I felt a tingling tingling. I had tumors everywhere – my oncologist estimated that I have about eight pounds of tumors, including bulky in my stomach pressing my kidney. Within a few days, my kidney enzymes returned to normal. This is how fast car therapy works.

My journey wasn’t just about me. This was deeply influenced by my family, especially my son who grew up with my mother fighting cancer. He spent his whole school years with me to treat. The night before receiving the cells of T car, he broke down and said: “Mom, what if it doesn’t work?” But I told him, “This treatment is different.” And so it was. I never gave up hope.

Now, over six years later, I am still in complete remission and I live again. If my story can inspire someone to strive for the best care or examining a clinical trial, dividing it was worth it.

A week before infusion, my output PET scan showed tumors brightening throughout the body. Only 29 days later the control scan did not show evidence of the disease. In the end I was in complete remission. Nobody could believe it. It was amazing how fast and effective it worked.

What advice would you give to patients moving on the way to cancer?

Convene for yourself. Nobody cares about your health as much as you – you have the most to lose: your life. If something doesn’t seem right, press the answers. Firefighters who do not listen and do not find those who do it. Consult with oncologists specializing in diagnosis. Be careful if you see general oncologists, because they are often not aware of new and improved cancer treatment such as Car-T. If you feel overwhelmed, ask a family member or friend to help you convene.

I always encourage patients to consider clinical trials. Attempts can provide free access to the latest treatments. Three of my seven therapy lines are clinical trials. My clinical trials were more targeted, and therefore had fewer side effects than traditional options. Non-profit organizations for diagnosis can often help in finding clinical trials. The leukemia and lymphoma company has a free clinical examination locator for patients. Call their number 800.

You mentioned being a patient’s supporter. What does this work apply to?

This is incredibly satisfying. I help patients understand their options, combine them with specialists and lead them to non -profit organization that can provide financial and emotional support. Many patients do not know where to start, especially when they have been diagnosed or converted. Of course, I am not a doctor and I do not give medical advice, but I am on the road in front of them and I can help them move after the challenge that patients with cancer face.

For example, I recently supported a woman without local guardian options in the treatment of a car. Finally, she found a program through a non-profit organization, in which nursing students volunteered as her guardians. This type of problem solving may matter.

What excites Most about the future of cancer research?

I am excited that T CAR therapy is used earlier in treatment and in the case of other diseases, such as autoimmune conditions and lithium tumors. There are promising research on lupus and pancreatic cancer and I think we are on the verge of breakthroughs in these areas. Personalized cell and gene therapies are now approved for the treatment of many blood cancers, sickles and mucosal melanoma.

I also hope that Car T will become more accessible and less expensive. An outpatient treatments are becoming more and more common, which saves the hospital’s costs and improves the patient’s experience. I think that we will continue to see amazing progress in medical sciences that will change life.

About Laurie Adami

Laurie had a 25-year career in the field of financial services and was the president of a company with a permanent income based in Los Angeles Capital Management Sciences. The diagnosed incurable follicular lymphoma at Stage IV at the age of 46 in 2006, Laurie spent 12 years in constant treatment of cancer.

She had seven different therapy lines, including 3 clinical trialsS, but the first 6 therapies did not bring complete remission. In 2018, as the seventh treatment, she received a Car-T in a clinical trial and eventually achieved a total remission in which she remains today.

Laurie spends a significant time to help patients with cancer in moving in challenges related to cancer diagnosis. He is a volunteer of First Connection Volunteer First Connection, Volunteer Volunteer for Public Policy, a member of the LLS Trust Council in Los Angeles, Ambassador of the LRF patient, patient’s ambassador LRF and Immunoadvocate Cri.

Laurie specialized in Russian and international relations at Colgate University. He lives in Hollywood Hills in Los Angeles with his husband, Ben. They have a son, August who graduated in Washington in May 2022. August was in kindergarten when Laurie was diagnosed and spent all his primary, junior high school and high school with his mother in the treatment of cancer.