Reaching New Heights in Cancer Research and Care
Indiana Elks and IU School of Medicine
Research funded by the Indiana Elks benefits patients in Indiana and beyond
REPORT TO THE INDIANA ELKS 2024
IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center delivers topflight clinical trial treatment
Don Bryant has lived a life of service to others. He is a US Army veteran who has served in the infantry, as a medic and as a counselor to his fellow veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Don has always bravely faced adversity by focusing on the needs of others. His most recent battle, however, has been perhaps the most challenging for him because he needed to put himself first.
Three years ago, Don started experiencing an incurable and extremely uncomfortable itch so intense that it kept him awake at night. He also had back pain and fatigue that he attributed to the wear-and-tear of aging. With the encouragement of his commander-in-chief, also known as his wife Mallory, Don went to the doctor.
Initial medical tests indicated that Don most likely needed his prostate removed, so he was referred to a urologist. But in 2022, further scans and a biopsy revealed that Don had metastatic, or advanced, prostate cancer. He wasn’t given long to live.
Don was living a very full life at the time and was devastated at the prospect of leaving his many passions behind. In addition to being a husband, father of three and grandfather of eight, he is a flight crew member of the American Huey 369 as well as an active member of their museum. He is also a Master Mason of the Free Masons.
“My ambition level went bad at this point,” Don shared. “I didn’t have much hope, but Mallory, my crew at American Huey 369 and my community wouldn’t let me go there.”
Don’s circle strongly encouraged him to explore a possible clinical trial at the IU Melvin and Bren Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center. It was there he met Dr. Jennifer King, and she had a different flight pattern in mind for Don.
Dr. King explained, “Our first-line therapy for metastatic prostate cancer involves hormone treatment and, for certain patients, the addition of chemotherapy. However, there is a targeted radiation therapy, called Pluvicto, that is used for advanced prostate cancer once the cancer has found a way around first-line therapy.”
Dr. King placed Don in a clinical trial that seeks to determine if using the targeted radiotherapy earlier in the diagnosis of metastatic disease will lead to patients doing better than using it later after first-line therapy.
In addition to the standard hormone therapy, Don has received six targeted radiation therapy treatments. He also undergoes scans every three months for monitoring. Don has had no progression of his cancer since initiating the clinical trial treatment.
“My wife, my crew, Dr. King and my care team are getting me through this,” Don says. “They are my angels.”
Don is relieved to have access to topflight care informed by research. He is grateful to the Indiana Elks for the time and effort they put toward elevating cancer research.
“To the Elks, I want to say thank you,” Don states. “Thank you for all your funding to cancer research over the years. Without it, I wouldn’t be here.”
Flying above the standard in cancer research and care
Jennifer King, MD, is a Hoosier who was educated in Indiana and is now taking care of Hoosiers. She is originally from Lafayette and earned her medical degree at Indiana University School of Medicine, where she also completed her residency and fellowship training. She is now an assistant professor of clinical medicine at the IU Simon Comprehensive Cancer Center.
Dr. King is interested in clinical trial research focused on genitourinary cancers, particularly renal cell carcinoma or kidney cancer. She also has passion for education—both medical education as well as patient/caregiver education initiatives.
During her training at IU, Dr. King recognized the benefit of being at an institution that exposed her to a variety of patient populations. During her fellowship, her interest in cancer research was enhanced by her experiences creating clinical trials and enrolling patients in them. She observed that clinical trials create a diversity of options for patient populations – which is critical for flying above standard cancer research and care.
Dr. King is deeply grateful for the Indiana Elks and all their investments in IU cancer research. “Cancer research truly changes lives,” she said. “Thank you for giving patients and families opportunity, possibility, and most importantly, hope.”
