When fighting his cancer required new treatment options, Ray and his wife Lori took a big leap forward: They moved to Orange County from northern California to be closer to family and to access the advanced care at City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center — the most advanced comprehensive cancer center in Orange County.
Hartjen considers himself lucky that his cancer was caught early. He had been doing a lot of road cycling in 2019 and felt strong, though often deeply fatigued. He thought this was normal given his busy career and family life. However, a blood test indicated Hartjen was anemic, which eventually led to a bone biopsy and a diagnosis of multiple myeloma.
“At that time, 90% of my bone marrow was cancerous,” he says. “I was lucky I had not broken any bones. It could have been a lot worse.” Bone fractures can be the first sign that something is wrong when a person has multiple myeloma.
Hartjen underwent a successful stem cell transplant and chemotherapy, but he eventually needed a second line of treatment, spurring his move to Orange County and to City of Hope.
Hartjen knew of City of Hope’s reputation as one of the largest and most renowned cancer research and treatment organizations in the nation. He began working with Azra Borogovac, M.D., a hematologist at City of Hope Orange County Lennar Foundation Cancer Center who is part of a team bringing new hope to patients with blood cancers and leading pioneering research in the field.
Dr. Borogovac developed and implemented a personalized treatment plan for Hartjen. “I’m receiving infusion therapy and immunotherapy, which are working well; and if it comes time to break out the ‘big guns,’ so to speak, we’ll be discussing CAR T cell therapy,” Hartjen says.
CAR T cell therapy is a leading-edge treatment that involves extracting T cells from the patient’s blood, re-engineering them to attack proteins found in cancer cells, and reintroducing them into the body. The modified T cells multiply and are capable of fighting cancer cells for extended periods of time. City of Hope has one of the most comprehensive CAR T cell programs in the world, with the resources to deliver CAR T therapy to patients at lifesaving speed.
Hartjen embraced the idea of a fight with the disease early on. “When I first got diagnosed with cancer, I thought, ‘Good. I finally have a diagnosis. Now we can get to fight. Let's get to fighting, doc. Let's get going and do this,’” he says. “For me, the fight metaphor just fits my personality.”
It’s an approach he is glad to share, especially if it can help others. Hartjen’s book, Me, Myself & My Multiple Myeloma: A Behind-the-Scenes Look for Patients, Caregivers and Allies, describes how he has dealt with the disease emotionally, physically and spiritually. He compartmentalizes his life so that he can focus on both his treatment and his favorite activities such as playing one of his many guitars.
“I’m not trying to get a medical degree from ‘Google University,’” Hartjen says. “And I do not go down the rabbit hole of what's next, what's next and what's next. Instead, I concentrate on what I need to each day, like what I need to do for my physical conditioning today or my medication schedule.”
Hartjen is mindful of keeping his sense of humor, and he does what he can do to support his physical and emotional well-being. “When I work out, I feel strong. And when I feel strong and have energy, that empowers me to go to the grocery store to source nutritious foods, bring them home and be able to make nutritious meals,” he says. “And that helps me in my fight against cancer. So, I just have to be aware of areas where I am low and what I can leverage to pull things up.”
Today, Hartjen’s motto is, “If not now, when?” He says, “It's the idea that I want to grab today's attention. How do we honor the day, and how do we honor ourselves by making the most of today? Before my diagnosis, I sometimes took relationships for granted, not thinking enough about how precious time is. That’s a thing of the past.”
When it comes to navigating cancer, Hartjen says, “Every day is game day for me, because multiple myeloma never completely goes away. It's a chronic disease. What I’ve got to do is get up for each day. Knowing City of Hope gets up for and with me every day makes a big difference.”
Pursuing cancer cures at the speed of life. CityofHope.org/OC | 888-333-HOPE (4673)
Also read:
City of Hope Orange County leads lifesaving immunotherapy research and treatment for hematologic cancers
Talking Hope: How precision medicine is personalizing cancer care
Talking Hope: Living with multiple myeloma, living the promise of hope: Meet Todd & Diane Kennedy