Tom W.

Tom W.  – Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL)

 

Tom retired and moved to Florida. He said that he’d like to get his whole family there, because he and his wife are done with the cold in the North. He likes to golf, fish, and spend time with his family and friends. He even works part time at the local golf course because he thinks it’s fun and fills his days.

One day, he had a routine visit with his regular doctor, and he suggested he have a standard aortic aneurysm test. He said, “I’ll never forget it. It was January 15, 2021, and we were driving home from a friend’s house. I got a call from my doctor who said that test revealed a large mass near my pancreas and another smaller mass close to the first one.”  After a follow-up, he was referred to the Mayo Clinic where, after a bone marrow biopsy, he was diagnosed with CLL. “The hardest part of my whole journey was that time in between that phone call in January to my diagnosis in May. It was all I could think about. I just wanted a game plan.”

At first, he was monitored regularly. Then in March of last year, he began taking medication. “After the initial shock of my diagnosis, physically I still felt pretty good, but the mental part of it was challenging. There were a lot of sleepless nights. But after I started taking the medication, the financial worry kicked in.” To find a solution to the financial worry, Tom’s wife called the manufacturer, and they did receive help from them all last year. Then in November, he got a call from Onco360. “Onco360 explained who they are and what they do, and I couldn’t believe it. Someone was going to do all the work to go and try to find financial assistance for me? To help me afford my medication. It was a godsend and such a relief to find out there are advocates out there who understand how to do all of it. Now that I’m a patient at Onco360, I appreciate knowing that I have an advocate. They call me once a month and ask me how I’m doing, which is nice. I also get a refill call once a month. My deliveries are always on time, and they always work around our schedule, which is very convenient. You can really focus on getting healthy and living the way you want to when you don’t have to constantly worry about your treatment.”

“As of last Monday, I’m officially in remission. But it’s always going to be with me, and it will be something we will have to deal with. Once you find out what the cancer is, I wish everyone knew there were companies out there to help – a company in your corner to do the work for you. Onco360 did that for me.”

Moving forward, Tom said he’d like to give back and help others who are newly diagnosed with CLL. He believes talking about it, learning all he can, and sharing his story is the best thing he can do now. He wants everyone to know that “you’re not alone.” He is also looking forward to checking everything off his bucket list, which he said he would not be able to do without the help of Onco360.