Patient Story

NOTHING TO LOSE AND EVERYTHING TO GAIN

MARY BABB RANDOLPH CANCER CENTER CLINICAL TRIAL PROVIDES SECOND CHANCE

Four years ago, Preston County resident Becky Benson learned that she had acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a particularly aggressive type of blood cancer. It started with a headache that would not respond to treatment. In a hospital emergency room, physicians reviewed her blood tests and quickly suspected that Benson had cancer. “When they said that word, the whole room went dark,” she said. “I was too scared to cry. But I promised my family that I would fight.”

Benson needed a bone marrow transplant to survive, but first her cancer needed to be put into remission. Although she had multiple rounds of chemotherapy over the next four months, the cancer quickly grew back each time. Her physicians were discouraged, and one talked with her about end-of-life care. She wasn’t ready to quit.

Luckily, she heard about a clinical trial that was enrolling patients at the Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center offering a new chemotherapy regimen. Benson enrolled in the trial, and within weeks was able to receive a bone marrow transplant. She credits Dr. Michael Craig, director of the Hematopoietic Malignancy and Bone Marrow Transplant Service, for helping her find a marrow donor. Benson is eager to tell her story to others who might benefit.

“The only way they are finding cures for cancer is through clinical trials,” she said. “When you’re fighting for your life, you have to do everything you can."  

Search for clinical trials offered by the WVU Cancer Institute and Health Sciences Center.

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