David and his wife Karen wear their passion for motorcycles and vintage cars on their sleeves—sometimes literally!
The couple has two prized Harleys, a red, white, and blue 2006 Softail and a 2007 FLHTP police bike. They also have a 1971 Chevy Chevelle SS and a 1923 For T-Bucket. For three years, David poured his heart and soul into building the Chevelle, adding a 502 Ram jet crate motor.
But over the last few years, the bikes and vintage rides have sat idle more than usual.
In the fall of 2022, David began losing weight and was frequently suffering from stomach pain. Tests revealed his liver enzymes were high, so his doctor recommended he schedule an appointment with a gastrointestinal specialist. He was told he’d have to wait weeks for an appointment. But when his condition got progressively worse, he couldn’t wait any longer and went to the emergency room.
“Within two hours of getting to the hospital, I was diagnosed with pancreatic cancer,” David said. “They gave me two years.”
Pancreatic cancer is one of the most challenging cancers to treat and has a statistically low survival rate. “It’s often diagnosed late, when it’s already advanced, and it spreads quickly,” BAMF Health Clinical Trials Manager Clay McNamara explained. “Treatment options are limited, and the cancer is often resistant to traditional therapies.”
The prognosis was shocking, but David wanted to fight. He went through chemotherapy at the end of 2022 and had a Whipple surgery in early 2023. Throughout 2023 and into 2024, he faced numerous complications and spent many weeks in the hospital. He was told he might not make it four different times. He fought on!
However, in June of 2024, David was given the devastating news that his cancer had spread to his lymph nodes. “They told me surgery wasn’t possible because of where the tumors were located, and my only option was to try chemo again.” So he did.
Knowing chemo might not give him the results he wanted, David started digging for other options. During a second opinion consultation with a doctor in Grand Rapids, the doctor suggested he look at clinical trials at BAMF Health.
“I had heard of BAMF before because a neighbor told me about it,” he said. “He said he heard good things. I had to give it a shot.”
His determination paid off. He not only qualified for a Phase 1 clinical trial at BAMF, he was also the first person to receive this experimental agent in the United States.
“Dosing the first patient in the U.S. for this clinical trial is a huge achievement,” said BAMF Health Director of Clinical Trials, Dan Rogers. “It means we are at the forefront of groundbreaking work in nuclear medicine and helping change how cancer is treated.”
The goal of this Phase 1 trial is to make sure the drug is safe and gather early signs of its effectiveness. If goals are met, it could move on to Phase 2, where a greater number of patients would be treated.
David admits that while he doesn’t know how much time this clinical trial will give him, he’s hopeful his involvement will help others in the future.
“Patients like David are incredibly inspiring,” Clay shared. “By participating in this trial, he’s taking a leap of faith, not just for his own benefit, but to help pave the way for others. His courage is what makes medical advancements possible and could help ensure other cancer patients have access to therapies that bring hope and better outcomes.”
In the meantime, David is looking forward to the day when he and his wife can sit together on the Harley and hit the open road like they used to.
