Compassion [kuhm–pash-uhn] noun
A feeling of deep sympathy and sorrow for another who is stricken by misfortune, accompanied by a strong desire to alleviate the suffering.

Compassion Corner is a weekly series from Patient Worthy that will focus on the subject of compassion in the healthcare and rare disease space. In this series, we explore the role of compassion in this field and what it means for caregivers, patients, and others.

According to a recent article in Cure Today Joey Renick’s family was told that three-year-old Joey had been diagnosed as having acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL). Joey received intensive cancer therapy for three years then finally settled into a twelve-year remission.

The American Cancer Society estimates that ALL accounts for approximately one percent of cancers in the US. The risk of ALL increases in children who are under the age of five. It decreases each year until the age of twenty.

During that twelve-year period, Joey had a normal childhood playing sports and attending a camp for children with cancer. In fact, it was at the camp in St. Louis called HIS KIDS Cancer Support that he met Caylee, his future wife, whose sister died at the age of 16 of hemangiopericytoma cancer.

Joey was in high school when symptoms began to appear. Just before his eighteenth birthday, Joey had his first relapse.

This time his oncologist put Joey on an even more intense treatment regimen. He went into his second remission at the age of twenty. In 2016 he was free of cancer and entered nursing school.

During his second semester in nursing school, Joey relapsed for the third time. That was 2016. Relapsing for the third time means that cancer needs more than chemotherapy to remain in remission. Joey was recommended for a bone marrow transplant.

Having a bone marrow transplant calls for the replacement of the diseased bone marrow. It is replaced by a new immune system that fights the leukemia cells.

Dr. Deepika Bhatla administered to Joey during his bone marrow transplant and aided in the search for donors.

The family had Joey’s youngest sister’s umbilical cord cells frozen at birth and deposited in the hospital’s blood bank. These cells can be used to treat leukemia and seventy other diseases. The FDA classifies the cells as biologic drugs.

Caylee and Joey had been involved with wedding plans that were quickly canceled. Caylee had experience with her sister’s cancer and according to Joey, she provided valuable support during his recovery.

Joey had no sooner recovered from the stem cell surgery when he decided to enter a 100-mile bike ride for the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.

Caylee and Joey were married in a beautiful oceanfront ceremony and Joey returned to his studies at nursing school. He graduated in 2018.

 A Hospital Staff That Became a Family

When Joey was in the hospital in October 2016 and being treated for his third relapse he learned that his three-year-old nephew Thomas had just been admitted.

Thomas was across the hall from Joey’s room being treated with intensive therapy for ALL, the disease that had plagued Joey for most of his life. Now Thomas faced three years of treatment just like his “Uncle Joey.”

But in this case, Thomas had a role model. Thomas had watched his Uncle Joey being treated for ALL so he did not feel intimidated by the treatment.

The family was in shock but received support and comfort from the hospital staff. Many of the nurses had known Joey and his family for years and were treating Joey’s family like their own.

Gordon Gale, MD became the first oncologist to administer to Joey. When Joey was eighteen Dr. Gale, then a critical care sedation specialist, prepared Joey for his next treatment.

Dr. Gale explains that he has become very close to Joey’s family and even administers to Thomas. Dr. Gale attended Carlee and Joey’s wedding. He commented that it was a very beautiful and special wedding. Many members of the hospital staff were also in attendance.

The hospital staff is known to be compassionate. The doctors often call to see how Joey and his family are doing. The woman who cleans the hospital rooms would always say a prayer for Thomas and Joey each time she entered their room.

Joey adds that throughout his childhood which was spent mostly in the hospital, the staff provided comfort. He said that he has known many of the nurses for twenty years and they love their job. The nurses have had birthday parties for Joey but most importantly, he trusts them.

 About ALL

On a positive note, success in the treatment of ALL tripled after 1975 mostly due to the advances in leukemia treatment, and especially chemotherapy.

However, the disease is fast-growing, and being in the bloodstream creates an effect on the entire body. Bone marrow creates abnormal white blood cells called lymphocytes. The lymphocytes replace normal red and white blood cells and platelets.

Approximately 6500 people were diagnosed with ALL in 2020. Dr. Bhatla said that ALL maintains a favorable prognosis and that they have had considerable success with treating the disease.

Joey, now age 27, has survived ALL three times. He is a nurse in the bone marrow transplant unit at the Barnes Jewish Hospital.