Life hadn’t been easy since Mark, 47, was diagnosed with multiple myeloma in 2021. But running had been a big part of his life (the couple first met at a running club). He was feeling a lot better, and Nina had been encouraging him to run, so he had signed up for the race. “I had no expectations,” Mark recalled. “My goal was simply to finish.” But when it was all over, something exceptional had happened — not only had Nina finished first in her age group, but Mark had finished first in his.
“I was startled by the joy that small victory gave me,” he said. “I may not be the same as I once was. I can’t run as fast or jump as high, but I am not less than what I was.”
Mark had come a long way since sitting at the kitchen table in the couple’s Irvine home, sipping coffee. A sudden sneeze was followed by an explosion of pain in his lower back. Mark crumpled over, toppling into his wife’s arms.
“Our lives changed right then and there,” Mark said.
A life-altering diagnosis
An MRI at a nearby emergency room revealed that one of Mark’s vertebrae had shattered — and that he likely had multiple myeloma, a currently incurable form of blood cancer that affects plasma cells. “It was difficult to wrap my head around,” he said. “I didn't know what multiple myeloma was or what my next steps should be.”
Mark found the answers he needed at City of Hope, home to the most advanced treatment options for multiple myeloma, including bone marrow and stem cell transplantation and CAR T cell therapy. City of Hope is one of the few national centers with a multidisciplinary team specializing in the treatment of multiple myeloma and has one of the highest volumes of patients with these cancers in Southern California.
He met with Tingting Tan, M.D., a medical oncologist at City of Hope Newport Beach, while in the hospital awaiting back surgery. Dr. Tan introduced him to Amrita Krishnan, M.D., executive medical director of hematology at City of Hope Orange County and director of City of Hope’s Judy and Bernard Briskin Center for Multiple Myeloma Research.
A renowned multiple myeloma physician and researcher, Krishnan immediately developed and implemented a personalized treatment plan for Mark that included stem cell transplantation to heal his damaged immune system. More than 18,000 bone marrow and stem cell transplants have been performed at City of Hope since it became one of the first cancer centers in the U.S. to perform transplants in 1976.
Set for survivorship
Mark’s treatment has been successful, he said; and the DeSantises are moving forward, grateful for the new normal that is emerging. Throughout his treatment, Mark continued his research on the behavior of financial markets, and he has returned to the classroom at Chapman University, where he works as an associate professor of finance. Dr. Krishnan monitors him closely, and he visits City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center regularly for testing and maintenance therapy. Nina continues to practice as a vascular surgeon.
Recently, Mark spoke at the “Topping Off” ceremony for City of Hope’s specialty cancer hospital opening in Irvine in 2025. Orange County’s only hospital exclusively focused on treating and curing cancer will be seamlessly connected to City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center, completing the care continuum for the county’s largest network dedicated to cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and survivorship. “You can’t fully appreciate how important this is until you or someone you love needs the care it provides, and this hospital means more people will access the best cancer care when they need it,” Mark said.
Asked for advice he would offer to patients newly diagnosed with cancer, Mark gathered his thoughts and said: “Hang in there – it's okay to feel however you feel. It's a long process, and some of it may be beyond your control. For someone like me with multiple myeloma, scientific breakthroughs offer real reasons to be hopeful. And you have to take life step by step, day by day. But you know what? With hope, you'll get through it.”
City of 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).