Nadine Baxter has spent the last 17 of her 40 years as a nurse practitioner working with blood-cancer patients, specifically those with myeloma.

Four years ago, blood cancer hit home. Hard and fast.

“My mother developed a cough, and we didn’t know what the problem was,” Baxter recalls. She took her to a pulmonologist, and her mother had perfect lab results. That was Valentine’s Day 2013. Another round of tests less than a month later showed she was anemic.

Baxter’s mother was diagnosed with acute myeloblastic leukemia, and died within three days of her diagnosis. “Being a nurse in the middle of it, and taking care of so many patients — it was very difficult for me,” Baxter says.

Shortly thereafter, Baxter was presented with a chance to keep her mother’s legacy alive. Her daughter, Devin Henson, found out about Light the Night, a fall fundraising walk for the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Henson asked Baxter if she thought the event would be “a good way to honor Nana.” Baxter agreed that it would be.

Then Baxter met Kim DuPas, manager of the society’s Arkansas division, which opened the door to participation in another society-sponsored event — the Man & Woman of the Year. Baxter captured the title in 2015 and has been involved with Man & Woman of the Year ever since.

The competition’s 2017 Grand Finale Celebration is set for Friday at the Embassy Suites Little Rock. Candidates are Jill Avery with Central Arkansas Veterans Healthcare System; Dow Brantley of Brantley Farming Co.; Jennifer Fitzgerald; Mike Mueller of P. Allen Smith Cos.; Charles Robbins of Data­Path Inc.; Angela Stewart of the Eleanor Mann School of Nursing at the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville and Highlands Oncology Group; and Justin Thomas, a student at the University of Arkansas at Pine Bluff.

Man & Woman of the Year is a national program for the society, taking its fourth turn in Arkansas. Baxter, who raised more than $40,000 the year she won, is now the society’s board president. This year she will be presented the organization’s Legacy Award for “just making a huge footprint for a cure here in Arkansas,” DuPas says.

Blood cancers are the number three cancer killer, according to society information. About 1.2 million people in the United States are living with blood cancer or are in remission from it. All the money raised by the Arkansas division stays in state to provide financial aid to cancer patients who must travel long distances for treatment and need help paying for gasoline, or need insurance assistance. The society also provides group support for these patients.

“A large portion of our money that we raise goes toward research,” DuPas adds. “Our main goal is to find a cure.”

Nominations are taken from all over Arkansas.

“We look for leaders in the community who have been touched by blood cancer and have the capacity to get out there and go through their network and really just give back,” DuPas says. These include cancer patients, health-care professionals who have worked with them or people who have friends or loved ones affected by cancer. They are given 10 weeks to raise money via sponsorships, donation solicitations and hosting fundraising sales and events.

“They truly are all winners. They are all one team working toward a goal,” DuPas says.

In her volunteer capacity with the society, Baxter helps to find Man & Woman of the Year candidates. She has worked to get T-shirts for a candidate, hosted meetings, donated food for a fundraising bake sale and solicited auction items.

“We should pay her,” DuPas says. “It truly would not be what it is today without Nadine.”

The 2017 finale will also include a special appeal featuring the Inspirational Boy and Girl of the Year — young patients who share their stories and motivate candidates throughout the fund drive. This year’s Boy and Girl are Will, who has survived non-Hodgkin’s T-cell lymphoma and acute myeloblastic leukemia; and Addison, an acute lymphoblastic leukemia survivor. The children will go into the audience to pick up donations.

“It’s hard to say no to them,” DuPas says.

The finale celebration — offering silent and live auctions, a dinner program presenting the candidates/winners and a donation drive — was first held at the Clinton Presidential Center but outgrew the space. The proceeds increased, too. Its first year, the society raised around $80,000. Fast forward to 2016, when event proceeds amounted to about $202,000. More than $460,000 has been raised since its inception.

The goal for this year’s campaign is $240,000. Baxter’s dream for the event would be “no less than 20 candidates, and no less than half a million dollars.”

She likes to see patients get immediate aid with the event proceeds.

“People don’t realize that it’s hard — when you have one of these catastrophic disease processes going on — to make ends meet, even if you do have a great deal of money. I’ve said a lot of times we could bankrupt the richest person in the world because it’s so costly.” The society has a $10,000 allotment per year that they’ll give to patients to help them pay their insurance premiums or make co-payments.

But there’s the big picture, too, Baxter adds. “That research is so very vital so that we can completely do away with blood cancers. If I’m unemployed, it’d be fine.”

The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society 2017 Man & Woman of the Year Grand Finale Celebration begins at 6 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $100 and are available by contacting Kim DuPas at kim.dupas@lls.org or (501) 227-6416.

High Profile on 04/16/2017

Hallmark of most multiple myeloma cases is the persistent production of some form of immunoglobulins, a phenomenon that brings the disease to attention. However, there is a subset of multiple myeloma patients who do not secrete immunoglobulin or its component parts into either the blood or urine, hence called non-secretory myeloma. Some non-secretory myeloma patients may produce the immunoglobulin proteins but they have defects in secretion. Due to lack of these protein biomarkers in blood and urine, it may be difficult to assess and treat the disease. Our myeloma panel is talking to Dr. Frits Van Rhee about latest developments and new options available in assessment and treatment of nonsecretory myeloma.  Listen to podcast.

Brian Walker is the director of research for the UAMS Myeloma Center. March is Multiple Myeloma Awareness Month, and Walker discusses what that special focus on myeloma means, his research and how the UAMS Myeloma Center’s world-leading status for the research and treatment of it drew him to accept his position here more than a year ago.

March 2, 2017 | Ambassador Ruth A. Davis traveled the world as a U.S. diplomat during her 40 years with the U.S. Foreign Service.

But when she learned she had a relapse of multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells in the blood, she headed to Arkansas and the UAMS Myeloma Center.

“I’ve often had people ask me, ‘Why don’t you go somewhere in the area, closer to home.’ I tell them, ‘Listen. This is a question of my life and I will go where the best treatment is available,’” she said recently on a visit to UAMS.

Davis, who lives in Washington D.C., has been receiving treatment from UAMS for a decade now. She was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2000 and was told she would live three years. Davis decided to come to UAMS after a friend recommended it to her.

“My experience with UAMS has been wonderful,” Davis said. “It has exceeded my expectations. The staff is accommodating. There is a community that has been developed to assist the patients of UAMS. They’re welcoming and competent. It gives me the confidence I need to proceed with fighting this disease.”

A trailblazer throughout her 40 years with the Foreign Service, Davis says she enjoyed every minute of it. She was the first African-American director of the U.S. Foreign Service Institute, and the first African-American woman to be director general of the Foreign Service. In 2016 she became the first African-American to receive the American Foreign Service Association’s Lifetime Contribution to American Diplomacy Award.

Davis has led a colorful life and proudly adds, with a smile, that she is an official Arkansas Traveler – a designation bestowed upon her by the governor. She’s usually accompanied by her sister Eugenia Davis-Clements, her caregiver and a former physician. The two women love meeting new people and are rarely seen without a smile or encouraging word.

While Davis says having multiple myeloma and going through treatments has slowed her down some, she refuses to let it stop her. In November, she traveled to Europe twice: to Brussels to chair the conference of the International Women’s Entrepreneurial Challenge and then to Vienna for the 50^th anniversary of the United Nations Development Organization.

Davis is under the care of Frits van Rhee, M.D., Ph.D., director of developmental and translational medicine at the UAMS Myeloma Center.

“I feel that I get the individual attention that I need. I’m not just a case study. I’m a patient with a real need and he is responsive to that. He’s one of the best in the business so I’m delighted to be a patient of Dr. van Rhee.”

Established in 1989, the Myeloma Center was the first center in the world devoted exclusively to research and clinical care of multiple myeloma and related disorders. Patients have come to the Myeloma Center from every state and more than 50 countries.

Melissa Thomas, RN III – The Myeloma Center

Congratulations to Melissa Thomas, RN III for being selected as the DAISY Award recipient for the month of March!

Melissa works in The Myeloma Center and was nominated by a co-worker who was also a patient.  The nomination below reflects how Melissa impacted her life in a very special way.

“During an EPIC class in the Barton Building, my glucose level dropped. I had been having trouble with my vision and am awaiting cataract surgery. My co-worker, Melissa Thomas, who was also attending class, was sitting across the aisle from me and was watching me to see if I needed help with class activities. I was using a desktop magnifier to help me view the screen, but it was difficult to get through the class. At one point, I just couldn’t figure things out anymore. I am told that Melissa kept getting up out of her seat to help me place the mouse where it belonged on the screen, and to put my fingers on the correct keys on the keyboard. She later told me that she noticed my hands were clammy and my pupils were pinpoint. I became unable to respond to her or my classmates and instructors. She recognized that I might have low blood sugar, and sprang into action, working with other people in the class to get me eating jelly beans, drinking juice, etc. My glucose finally got to 42 and then to 67 but I was not responding. The rapid response team was called and I was taken to the Emergency Department. Thanks to Melissa’s clinical observations and prompt action, I did not go into a coma and possibly die, although I am sure it was a very close call.”

Great job, Melissa!

To learn more about the DAISY award or to nominate a deserving licensed nurse, please visit: http//nurses.uams.edu.

Feb. 9, 2017 | The UAMS Myeloma Center, an international leader in myeloma research and clinical care since 1989, sees more myeloma patients than just about any other center in the world. The institute’s specialists treat myeloma day in and day out.  That is a distinct advantage for patients.  And, recent research indicating that patients fare better when treated at experienced medical facilities supports that advantage.

Findings from the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, show that people diagnosed with multiple myeloma are more likely to survive longer when treated at a medical center that sees lots of multiple myeloma patients. Published this past fall in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, “Association Between Treatment Facility Volume and Mortality of Patients With Multiple Myeloma” concludes that patients treated for multiple myeloma at facilities with high patient volume had a lower risk of death than those treated at facilities with lower patient volume.

The study, based on 94,722 patients treated at 1,333 facilities and adjusted for sociodemographic and geographic factors and comorbidities, noted some clear factors that play a role:

• Most hematologists/oncologists in general practice see only two new and six established patients with multiple myeloma each year. It is difficult to be proficient with such a small caseload that comprises only 2% of one’s practice.
• An unprecedented number of new drugs are becoming available for the treatment of multiple myeloma, and there is a wealth of new information about myeloma biology at the molecular level that is revealing targets for precision medicine approaches. Multiple myeloma is becoming increasingly complex to classify according to risk and to treat. A hematologist/oncologist in general practice cannot possibly stay current on everything pertaining to multiple myeloma while staying current on other, more common cancers.

“It is nice to have a study that validates what we have known for a long time,” said Gareth Morgan, M.D., Ph.D., director of the UAMS Myeloma Center and professor of Internal Medicine in the College of Medicine. “Those of us who have devoted our careers to treating multiple myeloma understand that it takes a long-term, single-disease focus to truly appreciate the nuances of multiple myeloma and the factors that influence treatment choices for individual patients. We take this even further by integrating genetic studies with clinical findings to guide individual treatment plans.”

In addition to participating in international meetings where the latest clinical and research findings are shared among professional colleagues and staying abreast of peer-reviewed publications in the leading journals, Morgan and his team take advantage of the vast wealth of patient-related data that has been collected over decades at the Myeloma Center. The data, which can be continually assessed as new, sophisticated analytical tools become available, reveal outcome patterns that shed light on which treatment methods are the most effective.

Another distinct advantage of centers that have had a high patient volume for many years is the presence of a well-oiled infrastructure. For example, other clinical services at UAMS, including nephrology, cardiology, hematopathology, radiology and orthopaedic surgery, have worked collaboratively with the multiple myeloma program and have built expertise in diagnosing and caring for the array of medical issues that can complicate treatment. Nursing staff in both the inpatient and outpatient settings also have specialized training that enables them to anticipate and quickly react to symptoms of the disease and treatment side effects and provide comprehensive care based on a keen understanding of the disease.

“Multiple myeloma is very complex,” said Faith Davies, M.D., the UAMS Myeloma Center’s director of developmental therapeutics and professor of Internal Medicine in the College of Medicine. “A coordinated, multi-disciplinary team is essential for addressing the needs of patients and their loved ones. Having a large number of patients has helped drive an integrated, collaborative effort. In addition, community volunteers, as well as local hotels and restaurants, cater to our patients and are important components of our service that promote optimal outcomes. We are blessed to have such a wonderful community that goes out of its way to help our patients feel at home.”

As the Mayo study pointed out, substantial gaps in clinical outcome exist based on how many patients are treated.  If patients are able to come to a center like the UAMS Myeloma Center, their chances of doing well are improved.

When multiple myeloma strikes, patients deserve to have options for getting the best care possible. The UAMS Myeloma Center, with its almost 30-year history of pioneering and outstanding care that has attracted patients from across the globe and its expertise honed over years of caring for multitudes of patients, is committed to being the go-to center of choice and giving every patient the best chance for a long, disease-free life.

Photo by Christer Berg / Bailey McNeill’s raw crystal necklaces and bracelets bring joy to the wearer while also supporting myeloma research. McNeill donates half of her proceeds to the Myeloma Center to help further development of curative therapies.

Feb. 10, 2017 | Bailey McNeill of Raleigh, North Carolina, is a UAMS Myeloma Center rock star.

McNeill’s father was diagnosed with multiple myeloma at Duke University Hospital when she was in third grade. “He sat down with my sisters and me and explained that he would be traveling with my mom to a facility — apparently the best — in far-away Arkansas for more tests. It was the first time I ever saw him cry,” she said.

Now a freshman at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, McNeill remembers the anger and sadness she felt in that moment. “It was not until I was older in high school that I learned more about his disease and how special it is that he is still with us, thanks to the doctors at the Myeloma Center,” she said.

It was also during her high school years that McNeill honed a hobby that would ultimately make a difference for others living with multiple myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells in the blood.

“I got interested in making jewelry when I saw companies like Free People or Urban Outfitters selling raw crystal jewelry. I had hundreds of crystals just sitting around, and I knew I could make similar pieces,” said McNeill, who has always had an eye for crystals and sparkling rocks.

She started out making holiday gifts for family members. Then, inspired by her father’s myeloma journey, she developed her talent into an online business. Her one-of-a-kind necklaces and bracelets bring joy to the wearer while also supporting myeloma research – McNeill donates half of her proceeds to the Myeloma Center to help further development of curative therapies.

McNeill knew that she wanted her hard work and time to amount to more than just a profit. “I pretty much built my business around donating to UAMS,” she said. To date, McNeill has donated $5,645.

McNeill’s exclusive source for her gems is Randall Glen, located about 15 minutes outside of Asheville, North Carolina. The mine offers “dig your own buckets” at various price points, depending on the size of the stones. A $10 bucket typically contains small stones like garnets and amethysts that are abundant in the North Carolina mountains. Larger buckets, that can cost as much as $150, contain larger, flashier gems.

While in high school, McNeill would often spend 40 or more hours each week on her jewelry business, producing 80 to 200 pieces each year. Now that she is in college, it’s more like 20 hours. With a major in global studies and a likely minor in entrepreneurship, her free time is limited.

“It has been hard to make and get out a bunch of orders since I’ve come to school. If I don’t have as much time to take photos of my pieces, then I promote them less on social media, resulting in less demand and orders. It’s a lot to keep up with,” she said.

McNeill continues to be encouraged and inspired by her dad. He comes to UAMS twice a year for check-ups and is on an active treatment regimen. “He handles it like a champ and is always upbeat,” she said, adding that he remains involved in his work, a wholesale produce business founded by McNeill’s great grandfather.

“Though my contribution is small, I hope my business is helping the program that has done so much to help my family and me; it’s the least I can do,” she said.