ALBERT ISAAC
“ It was the best thing that could have happened ,”
Isaac said . “ I got my life back . My wife and I can enjoy the life we had before my diagnosis . We can travel . I can work on my car and my house , all these different things . My wife is humming and singing . Life is really good .”
Albert Isaac has had many reasons to give thanks ever since he collapsed in his front yard while his wife was inside preparing New Year ’ s dinner . Primarily , he is thankful for the results he received after going through a clinical trial . Isaac says it seemed he was incapacitated for about 45 minutes that December afternoon in 2017 . When he finally was able to stand up , go inside and tell his wife what had happened , she immediately took him to the UAB Hospital-Highlands emergency room . After undergoing tests there , Isaac was transferred by ambulance to the main UAB Hospital .
“ That ’ s when I first realized that I must be really sick ,” Isaac said . “ Any time you leave one medical facility in an ambulance to go to another facility , something is very , very wrong .”
It turned out that Isaac had multiple myeloma , a type of cancer that was causing him intense bone pain . He met with UAB Medicine hematologist Luciano Costa , M . D ., Ph . D ., a scientist at the O ’ Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center . Dr . Costa described the various treatment options available , including participation in a clinical trial .
“ I kind of balked about it at first , but I talked it over with my wife and agreed to become part of it ,” Isaac said . “ The thing that amazed me was how quickly I got in . It only took a couple of days .”
Isaac actually went through two clinical trials . The initial treatment worked for four years , then when the myeloma began growing again , Isaac discovered he was eligible for a new trial .
“ Mr . Isaac is a veteran and could have received care at the Birmingham VA hospital , but he decided to stay at UAB to participate in the clinical trial ,” Dr . Costa said . “ He was among the first patients in the United States to receive a new type of immunotherapy as part of the initial treatment for myeloma . He did very well and achieved an excellent response .”
“ When his myeloma started progressing four years later , a clinical trial was again an option ,” Dr . Costa continued . “ Fortunately , in the four years since his first diagnosis , the field had advanced , and we had yet another modality of immunotherapy in testing . He has done very well on it and achieved a complete remission . His treatment now consists of an injection every four weeks .”
As far as Isaac is concerned , that is an extremely small price to pay for the results he ’ s experienced from his clinical trial participation .
“ It was the best thing that could have happened ,” Isaac said . “ I got my life back . My wife and I can enjoy the life we had before my diagnosis . We can travel . I can work on my car and my house , all these different things . My wife is humming and singing . Life is really good .”
“ If it hadn ’ t been for the goodness and mercy of God , my wife , Dr . Costa and his team , I don ’ t think I would have survived ,” Isaac added . “ It was very , very positive . People don ’ t realize that these types of treatments are available and how good they can be . It really changed my life .” ❚■
ABOVE : Albert Isaac and his wife
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