Robert Jordan

Robert Jordan is a famous fantasy fiction author, known for his novels of Conan the Barbarian, and the Wheel of Time series. On March 23, Robert was diagnosed with primary amyloidosis with significant cardiac involvement. Fortunately, he is strong enough to undergo an stem-cell transplant with high-dose chemotherapy (like me), which gives him the best odds for a remission.

All of the nasty stories you hear about amyloidosis are usually from multiple organ complications and/or cardiac involvement. In too many cases, the diagnosis is made when the amyloidosis is at an advanced stage, and the patient is too weak to undergo the high-dose chemotherapy. Usually doctors approach an patient with advanced amyloidosis by placing them on an short-term low-dose chemo plan. The goal of this plan is not to totally defeat the amyloidosis, but to push it back just enough to allow the body to gain strength for the high-dose treatment.

Sometimes it doesn't work as planned, and sometimes it gives amazing results. I frequently correspond with a woman from Brooklyn with multiple organ involvement. She went to Sloan-Kittering, where she was told that she was too weak for the high-dose chemotherapy. So they put her on a less-toxic (but less effective) chemo therapy plan. Amazingly, her body had a very positive response to the lesser doses, and she is now on her way to remission -- without the high-dose therapy!

The lesson learned is that this disease affects every one of us in a different way, and our bodies react differently to different styles of treatments. Statistics are, well -- just that, statistics.

Robert, I wish you the best of luck with this fight, and give you the same advice I gave to Lance Carter in November. Stay strong, try to keep your humor, and you will be around for a very long time. Don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions during your stay at the Mayo Clinic.