George Piel

For George Piel, a good day is one spent outside doing honest work. Whether he’s working in the yard or tending to his chickens at his Sullivan, Ind., home, Piel remains active at 87.

“My secret is that hard work never hurts anybody,” Piel said.

That determination and grit helped carry Piel through a Stage III bladder cancer diagnosis and a clinical trial at the Indiana University Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.

Piel was among patients who enrolled in the KEYNOTE-905 trial, a multi-year trial, which evaluated a new combination targeted therapy for bladder cancer. The trial led to FDA approval in November for the new treatment regimen, which will allow for a substantially higher percentage of patients with bladder cancer to be cured of their cancer.

When Piel first experienced symptoms of blood in his urine, he didn’t think much about it. After a 2022 visit to his urologist in Terre Haute, Ind., Piel was referred to IU Health and diagnosed with bladder cancer. He was treated by urologist Ethan Ferguson, MD, and oncologist Tareq Salous, MD.

“At the time, I didn’t know whether it was good or bad … I found out it’s pretty bad,” Piel said.

Because of Piel’s advanced age, he was not a candidate for traditional chemotherapy. Salous, assistant professor of clinical medicine at IU School of Medicine and a cancer center researcher, shared information with him about enrolling in the KEYNOTE-905 clinical trial.

Piel and his family learned that he would likely be the oldest person on the clinical trial, if he qualified. The family — including his wife Tonya — discussed the trial and treatment options before leaving the final decision to Piel.

Ultimately, Piel decided to enroll in the clinical trial, and he was accepted. The trial required frequent trips to Indianapolis; Piel received infusions every two weeks for six months, every three weeks for six months and then monthly for a year. His family – including son Eric and daughter-in-law Maggie, and daughter Tracey Piel who would take leave from the military to help – drove him the nearly two hours to each appointment.

Additionally, Piel had to have bladder-removal surgery, or a cystectomy, to treat his cancer.

“He went through this whole process like a champ. It's amazing,” Maggie Piel said. “This clinical trial was the best thing that ever could have happened.”

George Piel said he was glad to be a part of the clinical trial because his participation also helped other patients.

“If it’s improving and saving more lives, I’ll go along with that,” Piel said. “And they say I’m a miracle.”

Now Piel is off treatment and only has follow-up visits every three months.

While his cancer diagnosis led him to retire (at age 84!) from his job at a grain-handling facility, he’s glad to be back to his routine at home. And he admits his age may be another reason he’s slowing down, but just a little.