March 13, 2017 | When Nikhil Meena, M.D., crossed the finish line of his first half marathon March 5, his patient, the late Joe Cook, symbolically crossed it with him.

Cook, who died of lung cancer July 2, 2016, had taken up long-distance running about a year earlier after watching several friends enjoy the sport.

“Joe was always an active person and did some running when he was younger, but he didn’t start running half marathons until he was in his 60s,” said his wife, Marilyn Cook.

Cook had recently completed Conway’s Soaring Wings Half Marathon in October 2016 when he started to experience shortness of breath. A diagnosis of stage 4 lung cancer soon followed, and he began treatment at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. Meena, an interventional pulmonologist, was a member of Cook’s treatment team.

A 26-year employee of UAMS, Cook embarked on his second career at the academic health sciences center following 20 years in the U.S. Air Force. While at UAMS, he held positions in the College of Nursing, the College of Medicine Department of Psychiatry and Jackson T. Stephens Spine & Neurosciences Institute, where he served as administrator at the time of his death.

“When Mr. Cook came to his appointments, our topic of conversation would always turn to his love of running. He was hoping to run in the 2016 Little Rock Half Marathon but had to postpone that due to his cancer diagnosis,” said Meena, assistant professor in the UAMS College of Medicine Department of Internal Medicine.

During one of their visits, Cook asked Meena if he would consider joining him in running the 2017 half marathon. Although he had never attempted long-distance running, Meena accepted Cook’s challenge and promised to run with him in the upcoming race. As his treatment progressed throughout the spring, Cook appeared to show improvement and their race plans progressed. In early summer, however, Cook’s cancer stopped responding to treatment. He was admitted to the ICU at UAMS Medical Center, where he died a short time later.

“Dr. Meena made it a point to visit Joe when he was in the ICU. They had such a good relationship. He tried so hard to help Joe fight the cancer,” said Marilyn Cook.

After Cook’s passing, Meena was determined to live up to his promise. He contacted Little Rock Marathon officials about the possibility of running the half marathon in Cook’s memory. It was decided that he could wear two runners’ bibs, one for himself and one for Cook. He also would receive two medals, one of which he presented to Marilyn Cook at the finish line.

“After they told me I could run the half marathon for Mr. Cook, I started training in December. This may be my first and last half marathon, but I’m happy to honor my promise and earn one last medal for him,” Meena said.

Feb. 17, 2017 | A Valentine’s Day surprise brought smiles — and a few tears — to patients undergoing cancer treatment at UAMS.

Thanks to the nonprofit organization Compassion That Compels and local boutique Altar’d State, 20 women were treated to a free totebag filled with items to comfort and support them while they undergo treatment at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute.

After watching her sister and two sisters in-law each experience a cancer diagnosis within four years, Kristianne Stewart decided to take action by founding Compassion that Compels. To date, the Louisiana-based organization has distributed more than 3,300 compassion bags to women worldwide, either in person or through its website.

UAMS patient Janna Laughlin received bag no. 3,320 during what she hoped would be her last infusion treatment for a while.

After being diagnosed in June 2016 with ovarian cancer, Laughlin first underwent weekly chemotherapy treatments, which later switched to monthly visits.

“What a wonderful Valentine surprise this was. You’ve made my day,” she said, opening the bag filled with items including a blanket, journal, devotional book, mug, organic tea, gift card, mints, notebook, Valentine card and pen.

Through her partnership with 37 Altar’d State boutiques nationwide and other organizations, Stewart is able to provide bags to any woman who requests one. Locally, Altar’d State, which is located in the Promenade at Chenal, donates a portion of the proceeds in September and October to help fill the bags. Manager Madison Bass and several of her employees were on hand with Stewart to hand deliver them in the UAMS Cancer Institute’s Infusion Clinic 1. They also were joined by Compassion That Compels board members Rosie and Leo Combe.

“I’ve never been in a chemo chair myself, but I have been a primary caregiver and understand the stresses and challenges that go along with that. You can be in a room full of people and still feel lonely. That’s why we’re here — to remind these special women that they are beautiful, brave and never alone,” Stewart said.

Osteosarcoma survivor Linda Guillory was visiting the infusion clinic for a blood test when she was presented her compassion bag. “It means so much to have people you don’t even know show you that they care. You can feel the prayers every day, and it really matters,” she said.

This was the second year for Compassion That Compels to deliver bags to UAMS Cancer Institute patients. “There’s such a loving kindness here. You can just feel it,” Stewart said, adding that she hopes to return with more deliveries in the future.

Feb. 2, 2017 | Kacie L. Simpson, the clinical research associate team lead at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute, is the 2016 Bonny Hope Wallace Award recipient for her outstanding work with research participants.

The award was presented by Sandy Annis, a past recipient of the award who directs the UAMS Cancer Clinical Trials Office, at a Jan. 27 ceremony. Simpson was chosen for the award by members of the UAMS Certified Research Specialist Program.

Simpson has been at the Cancer Institute for 10 years. For the last nine years she has worked with patients in cancer clinical trials. She has served many roles in the Cancer Clinical Trials and Regulatory Affairs offices, including regulatory specialist, study coordinator, and for the last four years, manager of the study coordinators.

“It was an honor to be nominated for the Bonny Hope Wallace Award and selected by my peers to receive the award,” Simpson said. “I am also honored to work with world class physicians, nurses, research staff, and most importantly, the people who participate in research at the Cancer Institute.”

Simpson is a member of the Society of Clinical Research Associates (SoCRA), Association of American Cancer Institutes (AACI), the SWOG Oncology Research Professional (ORP) Liaison Committee, and the study coordinator for the SWOG Melanoma Committee. She has had UAMS Certified Research Specialist (CRS) certification since 2008 and SoCRA Certified Clinical Research Professional (CCRP) certification since 2010.

Wallace is remembered for her respectful treatment of research participants and her commitment to research integrity. She worked in research at UAMS for more than 30 years before her death in 2004.

Recipients of the award in Wallace’s name must demonstrate dedication to the research participant; respect for the participant’s sacrifice; devotion to research integrity; commitment to mentoring; and enthusiasm for learning.

Wallace was an instructor in surgery and laboratory director for surgical research at the Department of Surgery at UAMS as well as clinical coordinator of research at the Arkansas Children’s Hospital Burn Unit. Her efforts were focused on cutting-edge research to promote women’s health. Her accomplishments were many and her awards of recognition are numerous.

Jan. 23, 2017 | When Hot Springs musician Raymond Lovelace starting having migraine headaches in 2012, he set out to find the cause.

“It raised a red flag,” he said, adding that he hadn’t experienced migraines for several years.

After visiting his doctor in Hot Springs, he decided to seek a second opinion at UAMS.  Tests revealed the cause of his migraines to be a malignant tumor in his brain. Neurosurgeon J.D. Day, M.D., professor and chairman of the Department of Neurosurgery in the UAMS College of Medicine, along with radiation oncologist Jose Penagaricano, M.D., led Lovelace through an aggressive and highly precise procedure known as Gamma Knife to treat the brain tumor. Penagaricano is a professor in the Department of Radiation Oncology in the UAMS College of Medicine.

Contrary to its name, Gamma Knife does not include any blood loss or incision. It is a noninvasive procedure offered by the UAMS Radiation Oncology Center that delivers 192 precisely focused beams of gamma radiation to small targets inside the brain. Treatments typically last 15 minutes to one hour.

“They placed a helmet on my head and slid me inside the machine. It was quick and painless. Since then, I’ve had Gamma Knife performed another three times due to the spot continuing to pop back up,” Lovelace said. UAMS is the only facility in Arkansas to offer the Gamma Knife procedure.

Unfortunately, the treatment of his brain tumor was only the beginning for Lovelace, an accomplished singer and musician who plays saxophone, guitar, harmonica and banjo. A CT scan conducted at UAMS also revealed a tumor in his lung.

“Even though my symptoms were caused by the tumor in my brain, the cancer actually started in my lungs and spread from there,” he said.

Medical oncologist Konstantinos Arnatoutakis, M.D., took over Lovelace’s treatment as he began a chemotherapy regime at the UAMS Winthrop P. Rockefeller Cancer Institute. After experiencing significant weight loss, Lovelace’s outlook improved when he was prescribed an immunotherapy drug named Opdivo. Immunotherapy is a type of cancer treatment that either boosts a person’s immune system to fight cancer or marks cancer cells so it easier for the immune system to find and destroy them.

“I started on Opdivo in 2015 and continue to have treatments every two weeks. As long as it’s working, that will probably continue for the rest of my life,” he said.

As Arkansas’ only academic cancer center, the UAMS Cancer Institute offers therapies and treatment options unavailable elsewhere in Arkansas. This includes an average of about 80 clinical trials open to enrollment based on a patient’s specific needs and qualifications. Clinical trials not only provide patients with access to the most current treatments available, they also help determine new ways to prevent, diagnose and treat cancer in the future.

In addition to his Gamma Knife procedure and chemotherapy, Lovelace also underwent a series of radiation treatments at the UAMS Radiation Oncology Center with radiation oncologist Penagaricano.

“When I started radiation therapy, they explained everything that would happen and how many treatments I would have. The entire staff was great and really eager to take care of me,” he said.

Although it’s been a long road, Lovelace is thankful for the life-extending care that has allowed him to get back to his life and music.

“If I hadn’t come to UAMS, I probably wouldn’t be here today. I was able to get all of these treatments in the same location with doctors who could talk to each other and share information about my condition. I would recommend UAMS to anyone,” he said.