04/15/2026
Celebrating 10 years of CAR T-cell success! Denny Bole was one of the first patients to receive the therapy at the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center in early 2017, just a few months after we started a clinical trial in 2016. Conventional treatments for his lymphoma weren't effective, so CAR T became his best option. Today, he's enjoying life thanks to this treatment nearly a decade ago. Below, he shares in his own words how the journey has unfolded:
"I’ve had many people say that I’m a miracle. I smile and agree.
My diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma came in February 2015. My treatment regimens started with typically prescribed chemos — first R-CHOP and followed with R-ICE. Neither worked as was hoped. Next, we tried a stem cell transplant and still, the cancer persisted.
(As a fun side note, back in the day during the stem cell transplant, there was a floor of small apartments that patients could house in during the lengthy treatment process. Oddly, I have fond memories of my wife and me walking many, many long halls throughout the hospital in the evening after most of the staff and visitors had gone home. This was a way to keep my strength and my sanity. Believe me, Nebraska Medical Center has lots of long halls to explore.)
As we waited to get approved for a clinical trial, the cancerous tumors spread, even into my head where you could visibly see tumors protruding between my skull and skin. My first clinical trial had minimal impact on the cancer. All the other prior treatments at least significantly reduced the amount of cancer… but only for a while.
By now, my wife and I were feeling very discouraged, tired, and losing hope. In reviewing what options might be left, Dr. Bociek and Susan Blumel with the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center mentioned a new treatment that was being tested — CAR-T. I wasn’t a perfect patient match for what the study wanted, but both Dr. Bociek and Susan Blumel fought hard to get me into the study.
I was fascinated by this almost “sci-fi” sounding treatment that genetically altered T-cells to give them cancer-destroying receptors. We started the trial at the start of 2017. I was a little surprised how easy it was to extract my T-cells, send them off to a lab, and then put them back in my body. Because some of the earliest CAR-T patients had very severe reactions, I was closely monitored during a two-week stay at the hospital. I’m thankful to say I had no reactions, and even more thankful when, in the fall of 2017, my scans were clean.
I’ve shared with many that CAR-T, for me, was the least invasive and most effective of all the treatment solutions we tried. I believe I’m here today — nine years later — for two reasons: God and the Nebraska Medicine team. Thank you for the expertise, persistence, and great care you gave me."
