'It has been a partnership all along'

Robert Strom didn't have to fight cancer by himself; his wife led the charge

As they celebrate their 48th wedding anniversary this year, Robert and Barbara Strom can't help but marvel at their journey together.

The Kent, Wash., couple nurtured three children into adulthood. Then came five grandchildren, and later, two great-grandchildren, one who is now a six-year-old boy and another a 4-month-old girl.

"It has been really wonderful to see our grandchildren with their children. It has been really special," Robert said.

There was a time when Robert couldn't even imagine that he would ever see grandchildren, much less great-grandchildren. In 1985, when he had just turned 45, he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia and was expected to live no more than a year. At the time, he said, he was told he was too old to receive a bone marrow transplant.

"When I heard the news, the feeling I had was of extreme sadness," he remembers. "My children were going to school and my wife was going back to work. These were good times for our family."

But Robert didn't succumb to the disease as quickly as doctors had expected. Eight years later, older now and with his leukemia growing worse, he received much better news: Doctors had found a bone marrow match from an unrelated donor, and medical advances at the Hutchinson Center made it possible for someone his age to undergo a transplant.

"Sixteen years later, I'm still here," said a happy Robert, who made it through the ordeal with the help of his team, as he calls it—Barbara always by his side and the loving support from other family members and friends. His team also included Hutchinson Center doctors and nurses.

"When you think back on it, you don't focus on the bad parts. Sure, there were many difficult moments, but you also remember all the wonderful people who helped you along," Robert said.

Barbara has similar recollections. "I was Robert's caregiver, and people at the Hutchinson Center were so considerate of me. They treated the whole family as a unit," she said. "It made it so much easier."

For the Stroms, Robert's leukemia challenged the family, but ultimately it strengthened their relationships.

"You always have to keep communications open," Barbara said. "It has been a partnership all along. The important thing is understanding the needs of the other person. And then you have to have hope, faith and love, and pray that those things will sustain you."

There have been difficult moments since his transplant—two cataract surgeries and a hip replacement, and other ailments, such as colds that take longer to go away—but none of it fazes him.

"I turn 70 years old in September, and I'm really looking forward to it," he said. This summer, Robert and Barbara will be off on one of their favorite adventures: the road trip. This time, it will be Oregon, California and Nevada. The only concession to age: they'll stay in comfortable hotels instead of tents and campers as in years past. "We can't wait to hit the road," Robert said. "There's nothing like the open road."

	2005 Patient Reunion Photo Gallery