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Canoe trip of a lifetime
For some people, a cancer diagnosis can stop life in its tracks. An Orange County man found it to be the start of an incredible new journey. FOX 13's Jennifer Kveglis reports.
TAMPA, Fla. - Frank Carter has always chased adventure. But after a cancer diagnosis threatened to change everything, the Orange County man found a new purpose. Thanks to a groundbreaking treatment at Tampa's Moffitt Cancer Center, Carter not only beat cancer, he went on to complete the adventure of a lifetime alongside his four-legged best friend.
Moffitt Cancer Center therapy
What we know:
In his 60s, Carter had already spent months hiking the Appalachian Trail and cycled across the country when his health suddenly took a turn after a 5K race in 2021.
"I was wiped out. I just wasn't recovering," Carter said. "I went to my doctor, had blood tests. Long story short, in two weeks I was getting chemo."
Doctors diagnosed him with mantle cell lymphoma, a rare type of blood cancer that forms in white blood cells called lymphocytes.
After 15 rounds of chemotherapy, most of the cancer shrank but wasn't eliminated. Carter sought treatment at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa.
Doctors determined he was a candidate for CAR T-cell therapy, an advanced form of immunotherapy that genetically engineers a patient's own immune cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells.
"We take those T-cells, genetically engineer them by putting something called a CAR into them. Now these T-cells can see the tumor and get rid of it where before the tumor was able to hide from it," Carter's oncologist, Dr. Michael Jain, said.
More than four years after receiving the one-time infusion, Carter says he remains cancer-free.
A new adventure
Dig deeper:
During his cancer journey, Carter found comfort in his dog, Amos.
Once he recovered, Carter built his own cedar-strip canoe and set out on an ambitious goal: paddling the entire Missouri River.
The pair traveled 2,341 miles from the river's headwaters in Montana to its end near St. Louis over 64 days, camping along the way and battling powerful storms, high winds and hail.
Blood Cancer United fundraising
Big picture view:
Today, Carter helps raise money for Blood Cancer United, sharing his experience to encourage others facing a cancer diagnosis.
His advice is simple: stay positive and stay active whenever possible.
The Source: This story is based on interviews conducted by FOX 13 News with cancer survivor Frank Carter and his oncologist, Dr. Michael Jain of Moffitt Cancer Center, along with information shared about Carter's diagnosis, treatment and Missouri River expedition.