Beating Incurable: 'I have cancer. Now what?'

Not so long ago, Tim Cooper was making sure hungry passengers at Charlotte Douglas International Airport got their meals and made it to the gate with time to spare. The next minute, Tim learned he has cancer. Now he’s here in a 5-part podcast series to help other cancer patients and their families by sharing what’s he’s been through.

Show Notes

“Beating incurable," produced by Gina DiPietro, follows a cancer patient through treatment. The inspiring podcast series covers Tim's journey in just an hour, where we learn how he finds the strength to keep moving forward, and how others can as well.
 
While he’s a glass-half-full philosopher by nature, Tim also makes clear that there are plenty of tough days. And that’s OK. They are also survivable. As time goes on, Tim lays out some big decisions about how the experience has changed him. He’s not glad he had cancer, but the experience, he believes, may be taking him to a better place.

In this episode, we introduce you to Tim and explain how his journey as a Novant Health patient began. Highlights include: 

• 3:11 - Tim relies on faith to see him through. 
• 4:34 - He's found strength watching his mother battle the same incurable disease. 
• 5:33 - Struggling with a loss of independence. 
• 6:28 - An admirable determination. 
• 8:00 - Tim's journey began with neck and back pain. How that led to a cancer diagnosis. 

We’ll also hear from oncologist Dr. Patricia Kropf and neurosurgeon Dr. John Berry-Candelario on Tim’s care and the approach they bring to all their patients at Novant Health. 

Helpful links:

Leave Tim a note of encouragement: Join the discussion at the end of this article.
Listen to the next episode.

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Tim Cooper 0:00

March 8th, getting ready for the day before I check into the hospital March 17th, St. Patrick's Day, see, I'm wearing my green. March 23rd, day 13, and we've seen this scene before here, right? Of me packing to come to the hospital. Well, guess what? Today I'm packing to leave.

Gina DiPietro 0:20

This is the story of Tim Cooper, a 56-year-old Black man with multiple myeloma, a rare, incurable blood cancer. Tim, a bright light, a man of faith, is documenting his experience to help others.

Tim 0:35

September 10th at 2pm. It's the bionic man back again. October 22nd, November 21st, another week.

Gina 0:44

And here's the thing about Tim: He brings a far more upbeat, philosophical outlook to a situation than most of us could muster.

Tim 0:53

I'm no prophet. I'm no great individual in the sense that I'm just an average guy. But I think I've been placed an extraordinary situation that I was meant to deal with. You know, why not me? And so, hopefully, whatever I can share with you can help you move through this process and deal with it. And take it one day at a time.

Gina 1:18

You're listening to the first episode of the Tim Cooper story on Novant Health Healthy Headlines. I'm Gina DiPietro, your host. In the year since he became a patient of ours, Tim has graciously invited us into his life by sharing weekly video diaries, stories about his family, his childhood, how he came to be who he is today...

Tim 1:46

I was born in Harlem, New York City, and we had great experiences there living in the projects. When you hear the projects, and ours was called the Lincoln Projects, there's a negative connotation of what that is. There's a saying that just because you live in the projects doesn't mean you have to be of the projects. So, it's really about a different mindset. How do you see yourself and how do you see your value? So, it really shaped who we are, and our confidence in ourselves today.

Gina 2:12

I first met Tim at one of his many doctor's appointments. It was a sunny fall afternoon in October 2021… Do you go by Timothy then? Not Tim?

Tim 2:19

Um, I'm liking Timothy more as I get older. I hated it as a kid. ‘Timothy, you're in trouble.’ So, now I'm really starting to embrace my name. And it means to honor God. So, all those things are again.. I'm coming full circle with who I am and what my power is.

Gina 2:40

He was wearing a white linen shirt and burnt orange shorts as he walked into Novant Health Cancer Institute in Charlotte, North Carolina. The beautiful weather in stark contrast to what awaited him inside.

Nurse 2:54

Any headaches? Insomnia?

Tim 2:56

A little insomnia.

Gina 2:58

Another round of chemotherapy....

Nurse 3:01

Any nausea?

Tim 3:03

I'm still learning about it. You know, I'm still processing it in my head, obviously. Like, I have cancer...

Gina 3:11

But Tim is resilient. He told me, 'I'm exactly where I should be.' Years earlier, he moved from Maryland to North Carolina to be closer to his parents.

Tim 3:22

My parents, they're getting older...

Gina 3:24

He took a job managing several restaurants at Raleigh Durham International Airport. Then came COVID. And like so many others at the time, Tim was furloughed, then let go. Fortunately, he got a similar position at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, which brought him even closer to family. For Tim, it was just the latest example of divine intervention.

Tim 3:52

I mean, if I hadn't been where I was when this occurred… I would be in Maryland, by myself, no family around... So, God had me come to this place to prepare for this. It's so humbling and powerful to see how God moves in our life. He puts you where you need to be, at the right time.

Gina 4:12

As a result of his cancer treatment, you'll notice Tim's voice can sound drastically different. And when we meet in person, it might sound muffled since everyone is wearing a mask. You'll also hear a little background noise from time to time. So, we appreciate you sticking with us. Now back to Tim, as he reflects on his multiple myeloma diagnosis.

Tim 4:34

What made this such a coincidence is that my mom, Loretta Cooper, has had the same cancer since 2005. So watching her gave me strength to be able to get the process that I'm going through right now. And knowing that it starts with the will to live. You have to make that decision first. You know, how are you going to deal with it? Are you going to let it take over you? Or are you going to conquer it, with your faith and with your will?

Gina 5:00

After Tim shared about his mom's cancer, I asked his oncologist, Dr. Patricia Kropf at Novant Health Cancer Institute, if multiple myeloma is hereditary.

Dr. Patricia Kropf 5:12

It is not considered hereditary, but there is some clustering in families. So, there is a small fraction of cases that are familial. And it's an estimated three familial cases per 1000 (people). So, there is some clustering, but we still don't consider this a genetic disease.

Gina 5:33

The hardest part, Tim said, is the loss of independence that comes with fighting a serious disease.

Tim 5:48

That's what this has been about, too. It really stops you in your tracks. You're sitting there, and you're thinking because you can't really do much. So, that's frustrating in itself. Because you're not independent anymore. I was always independent. Not being able to drive a car, I used to be able to just go, those little things have been most frustrating. I've gotten past the severe pain, and it was bad in the beginning. But now that I have very limited pain, your mind tells you that you're ready to go again. But your body is telling you no. You have to listen to your body. Your body is going to talk to you and tell you to slow down.

Gina 6:28

But he's determined. He takes everything in stride. It's something I admire most about him. And it hits home. In my own family, there's a high incidence of cancer. My sister, Alex, overcame ovarian cancer at 26, a potentially life-altering diagnosis for someone who'd always dreamt of becoming a mom. Shortly after, we lost our grandpa, known affectionately as Papa Bear, to a rare blood cancer known as Waldenstrom macroglobulinemia. And in all the years he lived with it, I never heard him complain. My dad, Jerry, inherited that tough as nails personality from his dad. He recently overcame a battle with stage three colon cancer. And in true DiPietro form, he worked and played golf all throughout treatment. Their attitude always left me in awe. And I recognized that same determination, that same grit, in Tim.

Tim 7:26

Feeling good. Got a good report from the doctors this week about my progress, so I keep staying in encouraged. Feeling like a million bucks.

Gina 7:38

I recently joined Tim at another doctor's appointment in Charlotte. And the stakes were high. Tim would learn the initial results of his stem cell transplant three months prior.

Tim 7:50

So, today is the big day. Duh, duh, duh... to get my results and learn whether I'm going to be in remission or not. So, it's a little nerve wracking.

Gina 8:00

I'll share those results later. There's also so much else that led up to that anxious day. In fact, Tim came to be a patient of ours because of neck and back pain, something millions of people deal with every day. He was referred to Novant Health Spine Specialists in Charlotte, where he'd meet neurosurgeon Dr. John Berry-Candelario.

Dr. John Berry-Candelario 8:21

The biggest issue is lack or loss of mobility, alright? Loss of .. kind of being able to turn, to nod and to kind of swing your neck from side to side...

Gina 8:32

That appointment changed everything. Tim didn't just have neck and back pain. He had bone disease, which he'd learn is a devastating complication of multiple myeloma. Bone disease can also cause fractures and mobility issues, and doctors explained it had weakened Tim's spine in several places. He was at risk of becoming paralyzed. Tim needed emergency surgery. That's ahead in episode two of the Tim Cooper story on Novant Health Healthy Headlines.

I'm Gina DiPietro, your host, and I'm humbled to tell Tim story. If you enjoyed this podcast, leave us a five-star review, or share it with friends. Find us on Apple, Google, Spotify or just about anywhere you listen to podcasts. And leave Tim a note of encouragement. You'll find his story under Editor's Picks on www.NovantHealth.org or use the search feature to type in his name: Timothy Cooper. People can join the discussion at the end of that article, and Tim has responded to many of the comments already. Thanks for listening.