Biologics by McKesson Patient Voice Spotlight – Larry H.
Larry H., Biologics by McKesson Oncology Patient: I was diagnosed in early 2012, and the condition is Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. It’s a bit of non-Hodgkins lymphoma, along with a couple of other blood type cancers. The blood gets very, very thick, to the point where early on, you have difficulty healing. You don’t clot.
Ashleigh Burdette, Sr. Director of Clinical Innovation at Biologics by McKesson: What were the symptoms leading up to you being diagnosed?
Larry: I started off feeling very weary and weak. Finally, it reached a point where I started getting nosebleeds. Then they got so serious that I had to go to emergency rooms to be cauterized. Over a period of about 10 days, I had dozens and dozens of blood tests done. And the diagnosis finally came back. My wife and I were extremely upset. You get a cancer diagnosis, I mean, I thought I was a super healthy guy. There’s no history of cancer in my family.
Ashleigh: Now, when was the first time that you interacted with the team at Biologics?
Larry: October of last year, 2020. I started having a rise in the factors in the blood, and that indicates that there’s a problem in the system. But this time, the medication for the illness is not infusion through chemo. It’s a pill. And I call it a miracle pill. I spoke to, I believe it was a nurse, an educator nurse at Biologics, who explained to me what to expect, what to avoid. And it was terrific.
Ashleigh: How often would you say that you hear from the team at Biologics?
Larry: At least twice a month. I hear from somebody about renewing the prescription. And sometimes, the nurse will do a follow-up call with me based on my questions, to see if it’s been resolved. It’s been a really positive experience. All the staff I’ve interacted with at Biologics, they’ve all been very, very helpful.
Ashleigh: What advice would you give to someone newly diagnosed?
Larry: Make sure that you have the best oncologist available, and make sure you have an oncologist who knows the different medical treatments. I just feel so fortunate to have the right doctor. He recommended a drug that was… medication that was… has proven to be very successful, and he took care of dealing with Biologics in getting the medication, and they have continued to follow up making sure that that’s still what the doctor is recommending. I was really quite impressed with the whole process that Biologics has offered me and continues to offer me. I would recommend it to anybody.
Video link: https://vimeo.com/541790776