Despite his attention to safety, in 2012 a car ran through a stop light and broadsided him while he was cycling in south Orange County. John’s injuries required three months in an ICU, multiple surgeries and an arduous rehabilitation.
As he was healing from the accident, an MRI revealed what turned out to be Stage 4 lymphoma. Holthaus was experiencing no symptoms, and the diagnosis felt overwhelming at first.
But deciding where to receive care for his cancer was easy. Holthaus had just started working at City of Hope, and he knew that the level of care City of Hope patients receive is difficult to find anywhere else. He immediately set to work with the NCI-designated comprehensive cancer center’s team of renowned blood cancer experts to begin navigating his journey back to health.
“My medical oncologist — an amazing City of Hope physician who I’m incredibly grateful for and who has since retired — met with me and my wife and said, ‘We can help you,’” Holthaus said.
Holthaus learned that his lymphoma did not need to be treated right away because it was growing slowly. There were advanced treatments that would be effective when the time was right. Watchful waiting was the key, and if and when things changed, he would decide on the best option. Some patients whose lymphoma is stable and who have no symptoms can be in watch-and-wait mode for years and in some cases may never need treatment at all.
But after months of close monitoring, Holthaus’s slow-growing cancer turned aggressive, and it was time for a bone marrow transplant that would save his life. City of Hope physicians have performed more than 18,000 bone marrow and stem cell transplants, ranking its transplant center among the largest and most successful in the world.
“My family calls August 5th my new birthday, because that was the day City of Hope performed my stem cell transplant and opened the door to the rest of my life,” Holthaus said.
Today, Holthaus’s lymphoma is in remission. He is competing in long-distance bicycle races again. And he recently had his first annual visit at City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center – the most advanced comprehensive cancer center in Orange County – where he met with Azra Borogovac, M.D., M.S., a renowned hematologist and stem cell transplant specialist. She is part of a team bringing new hope to patients with blood cancers and leading pioneering research in the field.
“One of the great distinctions of City of Hope is you have an entire team of experts who focus on cancer — and only cancer — working together to bring you hope and healing,” Holthaus said. “There’s no doubt that City of Hope saved my life.”
When asked for advice on how to approach a cancer diagnosis, Holthaus answers with an athlete’s resolve. “Stay in the fight. Don’t give up. Win.”
Also read: From survivorship to nursing: Grateful lymphoma survivor now cares for patients at City of Hope Orange County
Also read: City of Hope clinical trial brightens the path for Orange County fire cadet with lymphoma
Hope is where cancer loses and life wins. To make an appointment at any of City of Hope’s Orange County locations, call 888-333-HOPE (4673).