Cancer Patient Stories

Patient Stories about cancer

April 7, 2020

Louisiana Matriarch Leans on Faith, Family, Friends in Fighting Myeloma

Linda Haymes

“I was just so thankful I had a place that I could come to for help,” says Lessie Credeur of Sunset,Louisiana. The mother of six and grandmother 14 diagnosed with myeloma five years ago and is now in remission. The 59-year-old recently celebrated that success with a Seed of Hope ceremony.

Lessie Credeur’s big, Cajun clan is the heart of the home she shares with husband, Clint, near Lafayette, Louisiana. The stay-at-home mother of six, now enjoying the next generation of her extended family, savors time with her 14 grandchildren, ranging from 16 years to 4 months. “We have 11 girls and three boys and we…


April 2, 2020

Diamondhead Man Beats 3 Types of Cancer with UAMS’ ‘World-Class Care’

Susan Van Dusen

Larry Seals

Larry Seals doesn’t back down from a challenge. As a highly decorated helicopter pilot in the Vietnam War, Seals saw more than his share of conflict and hardship. But through it all, he never lost his sense of humor or positive attitude.


March 2, 2020

Arkansan’s Golf Swing Breaks Back, Leads to Myeloma Diagnosis

Linda Haymes

"When you get a diagnosis like that, your world crumbles and you don't know what to expect," said Buffy Bennett, the wife of myeloma patient Wade Bennett of Hackett, Arkansas.

In 2017, Wade Bennett of Hackett, Arkansas, was 50, and physically active, both in his work as the owner of his company, WB Drywall, and in his leisure time. He also thought he was in good health. “I had a golf tournament coming up and I was swinging an eight iron in my yard and…


January 14, 2020

Grateful Cancer Patient Pedals to Promote Myeloma Center

Linda Haymes

David Sutton of St. Petersburg, Florida, recently completed a five-day bike ride to raise $7,000 for the Myeloma Center.

David Sutton of St. Petersburg, Florida, was 42 and had an 18-month-old son when, on New Year’s Eve of 2004, he was diagnosed with myeloma and given a bleak prognosis from a cancer treatment center near his home. In response, his local oncologist sent him to the UAMS Myeloma Center for a second opinion. “I…


November 25, 2019

Dad Cancer-free After ‘Extremely Rare’ Stem Cell Match with Daughter

Susan Van Dusen

Butch King and Paula Draeger

Butch King counts his blessings every day. First, there’s his growing family, with wife Debbie, their four children, 12 grandkids and soon-to-be seven great-grandkids.

Then, there’s his role as a deacon in the Catholic Church and a passel of friends in the faith. Not mention his lifetime of civil service in the Air Force and U.S. Postal Service.

But this Thanksgiving, as King sits down to dinner with his family, one blessing will undoubtedly rise to the top: the blessing of being cancer-free.


November 12, 2019

Drag Racer, Specialty Mechanic Praises Treatment at Myeloma Center

Linda Haymes

"I was determined to find the best place I could go for treatment," said drag racer and specialty mechanic Brian Macy, 49, of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, pictured here with wife Heather.

Drag racer and specialty mechanic Brian Macy, 49,was diagnosed with myeloma in June 2016. Just a little more than a year later, he was back on track, literally. Macy, of Lake Havasu City, Arizona, owns Horsepower Connection, an automotive customization shop that specializes in electronic fuel injection programming and conversions of older domestic cars and…


November 5, 2019

International Myeloma Foundation Partners with UAMS for Regional Workshop

Linda Haymes

Carolina Schinke, M.D., of the Myeloma Center and Kelly Cox with the International Myeloma Foundation took part in the recent regional workshop for patients in Little Rock.

UAMS Myeloma Center patients, caregivers and staff from across Arkansas and surrounding states spent a recent Saturday learning more about myeloma, a rare blood disease, and how to live successfully with it. “Knowledge truly is power,” said Kelly Cox, of the International Myeloma Foundation (IMF), in welcoming the crowd of nearly 60 attendees to the…


October 16, 2019

Country Music Legend, Cancer Survivor Charley Pride Entertains at UAMS

Susan Van Dusen

Charley Pride at UAMS

A small group of UAMS employees got an unexpected treat Oct. 10 when Grammy Award-winning musician Charley Pride stopped by for an impromptu visit and performance. Best known for his 1970’s hits including “Kiss an Angel Good Morning” and “Is Anybody Going to San Antone,” Pride was diagnosed with verrucous carcinoma of the vocal cord…


October 14, 2019

Leslie Harrell, D.O., Joins UAMS as Radiation Oncologist

Linda Haymes

Leslie Harrell, D.O.

LITTLE ROCK — Radiation oncologist Leslie Harrell, D.O., has joined the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and sees patients at the UAMS Radiation Oncology Center. She also serves as a professor in UAMS College of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology. Harrell, who previously served as a radiation oncologist in Oklahoma City, specializes in…


October 1, 2019

Retired Police Officer Finds ‘Top-Notch’ Breast Cancer Treatment at UAMS

Susan Van Dusen

Patty Allen and Crystal Smith

Patty Allen is the first to admit it: Mammograms make her nervous. With no history of breast cancer in her family, she never imagined the test would come back positive. But the experience always left her rattled nonetheless.



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