Faith in Arkansas: Chris Bingaman’s Battle with Multiple Myeloma
| For Chris Bingaman, every day is a special gift.
In 1992, the Pennsylvania native was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a prognosis that was initially believed to be terminal for him, maybe only having a few years to live.
His story is primarily one of his heroic fight against the disease, which required immense strength and faith from both him and his family. However, his story includes the groundbreaking care he received at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS), where he built a makeshift community that included the many people who cared for him during the early days of the Myeloma Center, in the then-Arkansas Cancer Research Center, now the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.
“Nothing happens by accident, but I reflect on why I was meant to go through my illness, and I can’t answer that question,” said Chris Bingaman. “However, I have lived a life of grace and am glad that I have been able to inspire others who maybe have gone through a difficult time as well.”
“I can vouch for that — I think it has inspired Chris to use his experience to help others, and he’s been very faithful in the life he’s lived and the time that he’s been given,” said Heidi Bingaman, his wife of over 40 years.
Born and raised in Sunbury, Pennsylvania, in the picturesque Central Susquehanna Valley, Chris Bingaman grew up in a family with deep conviction for faith and strong commitment to community.
Professionally, he’s had the privilege to work for his family’s company, Bingaman and Son Lumber, a lumber business headquartered in Kreamer, Pennsylvania, that has its roots in the 1930s. The company produces lumber products sourced from the Appalachian Mountains, employing over 200 workers, with three sawmills and two concentration operations, all located in Pennsylvania. It is a company that serves its customers through its core values of “integrity, compassion and stewardship.”
More rewarding is the family the Bingamans have grown — parents of four daughters, Emily, Lindsey, Leah and Audrey, all of whom are married with their own children now. He also has a large extended family.
In 1992, when Chris Bingaman was in his early 30s, he began experiencing some unusual health issues. Early that year, he was diagnosed with pneumonia, which took some time for him to overcome.
That November, after returning from a hunting trip in Montana with his father, he began experiencing back pain that would not improve. Then, over the New Year’s holiday he became very ill and had to be hospitalized with another case of pneumonia. His doctor recommended extended rest and concluded the back pain was a result of pleurisy, an inflammation in the lining of the lungs.
“I came home from the hospital the first week of January, and for the next 45 days or so I was in terrible pain,” said Bingaman. “Finally, it got so bad that I asked a friend of mine who was a doctor to give me an examination — he ran me through some tests and soon discovered that I had a collapsed vertebrate.”
Bingaman was initially relieved they figured out the source of his health problems, believing that it was just a matter of correcting it with surgery. However, the doctor was concerned because Bingaman couldn’t recall any major event like a heavy fall or collision that typically would cause that type of injury.
The physician ordered an MRI, and a few days later broke the news — it looked like multiple myeloma.
“I had never heard of multiple myeloma,” Bingaman said. “In fact, he told me that he had never seen it in someone as young as me.”
Heidi Bingaman sits with Chris while he undergoes initial treatment in Pennsylvania in early 1993.
While the family was devastated, they were determined to get treatment started as quickly as possible. First, Bingaman went to a nearby hospital for back surgery. He also saw an oncologist there, who ordered 30 days of radiation and then a biopsy to see if the myeloma had entered the bone marrow.
“I remember a couple of days after the biopsy, I received the results and unfortunately the oncologist told me that my bone marrow was involved, which of course was a sinking feeling,” said Bingaman. “There was a lot of uncertainty about what was next. Word in the community spread quickly that the man with the young family, four small girls, had a very serious case of cancer.”
Bingaman’s oncologist told him he needed a place that specialized in multiple myeloma, and asked if he would travel for treatment.
“I told him that I would go anywhere, I just wanted to receive the best treatment possible,” said Bingaman. “He mentioned hospitals in Minneapolis, Houston and Dallas, but he first needed to make a few calls. When he called me back the next day, he told me that he’d done his research and believed the place I needed to go was Little Rock, Arkansas. My first thought was ‘what’ — I just didn’t know what to think.”
As it turned out, the doctor’s wife was a graduate of the UAMS College of Medicine, and she was aware of the newly established Myeloma Center under the leadership of Bart Barlogie, M.D., Ph.D. The center had quickly developed a reputation of being a destination for treating multiple myeloma, using pioneering treatments under the direction of talented physicians.
“Learning about the connection and hearing my doctor’s confidence in the Myeloma Center, it felt like God’s grace that it was the place I needed to go, so he arranged everything and before you know we were in Little Rock,” said Bingaman.
“I knew it was going to be a walk with God, and we just needed to be faithful — after I had all the information, and we had a plan of action, we were lucky that we had plenty of family close to stay with our children at our house so that I could be with Chris while he was receiving treatment,” said Heidi Bingaman.
One of the first doctors that Barlogie recruited from MD Anderson was Sundar Jagannath, M.D., who was tasked with establishing the bone marrow/stem cell transplant program. Jagannath was Bingaman’s primary doctor through his journey.
“The Myeloma Center was a rare ground floor opportunity — I remember seeing patients in a trailer while the Arkansas Cancer Research Center was being built,” said Jagannath. “Young and old people came to the UAMS multiple myeloma program from all over the country and around the world.
“Chris Bingaman was one — he was young, with a wife and small children, and was at the peak of a promising life. He was then diagnosed with multiple myeloma and was told he had a life expectancy of three to five years at the most.”
After undergoing a series of tests, Bingaman was enrolled in the Total Therapy clinical trial, soon receiving an autologous stem cell transplant. Total Therapy program involves an aggressive use of proven myeloma agents to reduce tumor burden — hitting the cancer hard at the beginning of treatment, before the cancer develops resistance to therapies. However, the Total Therapy treatment was not effective in Bingaman’s case.
Instead, Jagannath turned to an allogeneic transplant.
“As he was young and had a sister who was a perfect match, we proceeded with an allogeneic transplant, which can lead to serious complications, but in Chris’ case, it provided a chance for cure,” said Jagannath. “After conferring with his family and with a strong will to live and tremendous faith in God, Chris proceeded with the allogeneic transplant using donor cells from his sister.”
“We were excited when we got the call that we’d be moving forward with the procedure, but I was really dreading leaving home not knowing if I’d ever be back,” said Bingaman. “What do you say to your daughters at their young age? We had hope, but I had to also consider the reality of the situation.”
Though Bingaman had a path, it still proved to be a turbulent road thanks to a “blizzard of a lifetime” in the Northeast that made it difficult for Bingaman’s sister, Mary Beth Will, to reach Little Rock. Despite road and airport closures, she made it to Arkansas in time for the transplant.
Chris Bingaman with his parents (standing) and his sister, Mary Beth Will, who provided the transplant.
“Two weeks later, we did a biopsy that came back negative for cancer, which was truly amazing to hear.”
Though Bingaman was headed in the right direction, he still had a long road ahead of him, having to return to UAMS every 60 days for treatments and tests.
“I remember that it was about a year and a half after the diagnosis that we felt like Chris started having some normal days, so it felt like a glimpse into the future,” said Heidi Bingaman.
The Bingamans would continue their trips to the Myeloma Center for the next two and a half years. Then Jagannath accepted a position in New York City, so Bingaman began visiting him there for his checkups.
“After a couple of years of seeing him in New York, Dr. Jagannath determined that I could go ahead and just visit my local oncologist because he considered me cured,” said Bingaman. “I thought I’d never hear those words.”
From its founding in 1989 to today, the Myeloma Center has become an international leader in multiple myeloma treatment.
“The goals of the multiple myeloma program at UAMS were to always put patients first and to cure the disease,” said Jagannath. “Thanks to that vision and the program’s groundbreaking basic and clinical research, we were able to cure patients like Chris and develop novel treatments that set new standards for effective care.”
In 2011, Bingaman returned to UAMS for the Long-term Survivors Conference. He was able to visit with many of the doctors and nurses who cared for him during his time in Little Rock. He was also amazed by the growth of the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, and how far it had come since the days of patients being treated in makeshift treatment rooms in trailers.
“When we went back to Little Rock for that conference, things were very different — it was truly amazing to see all the buildings that had been constructed, because it was drastically different from our time there,” said Bingaman. “I am certainly grateful for the care that I received, you knew you were in the care of excellent doctors and nurses, but it is impressive to see how much growth has occurred at UAMS.”
After Bingaman recuperated from his transplant, he made it his mission to serve the community around him, using his story to inspire others. He wrote a book about his experience, “The Promise of God’s Presence.”
Ultimately, his story is about his strength through his treatment, and the belief he had in his medical team, his family and his faith.
“There we were, 30 years ago, and it was a dramatically different time in our lives with so much uncertainty,” said Bingaman. “Honestly, I can’t believe I’m alive.”
Chris and Heidi Bingaman (center) with their family.