Wife Describes Critical Role Support Plays After Husband’s Cancer Diagnosis
Nadia and Gary Lambert’s love story started back in college. Nearly two decades later, Nadia is not only Gary’s partner, raising two kids together, but she is also his caregiver.
In 2014, Gary was a healthy and active 37-year-old husband, father and law enforcement officer. Pain in his hip and back led him to receive a bone marrow biopsy, which showed he had stage 3 multiple myeloma.
In 2020, after receiving treatment in the Philadelphia area for years, including a stem cell transplant, the Lambert’s decided to move to Florida to be closer to family.
Finding the Right Fit
Nadia recalls spending countless hours researching before deciding where Gary would continue his cancer treatment in Florida. The research came to a halt when they encountered Brandon Blue, MD, a hematologist at Moffitt Cancer Center.
Gary (left) and Brandon Blue, MD (right) bonded the very first day they met. Nadia says that the bond continued to grow throughout Gary's treatment.
“We not only wanted someone with the best credentials, but it was important to Gary that we found someone who could relate to things he faces as a young Black man,” Nadia said. “We knew Moffitt would provide him with great care, but when we found Dr. Blue, it was like finding the remaining piece of the puzzle.”
Building a Support System
In 2022, Gary was one of the first 100 patients at Moffitt to receive CAR T-cell therapy, or chimeric antigen receptor therapy. For this immunological treatment, the patient’s T cells are removed and modified with additional receptors to recognize the unique proteins on the surface of cancer cells. The reengineered T cells are then infused back into the patient’s body in a single treatment, where they seek out and destroy the cancerous cells.
Throughout Gary’s cancer treatment, Nadia says two things have been crucial for her husband: having a doctor who understands him and having a support system.
“It can be really hard to see where you fit in, and how you can even determine what kind of specific care you need,” she explained. “When he met Dr. Blue, they built a rapport immediately. It was like they had known each other for years and had reunited.”
For Nadia, although she wouldn’t describe the role of a caretaker as being easy, she wouldn’t have it any other way.
“Caregiving, it's so all-encompassing,” she explained. “Until you're in it, you don't really realize how vast it is and how deep of an ask it is. You really are stepping into the role of a care advocate and it’s crucial in a cancer battle.”
Gary is currently in remission. His family is planning their next summer trip abroad to celebrate yet another year together as a unit.
To learn more about Nadia and Gary’s journey, you can listen to their episode on Moffitt’s In It Together: A Podcast About Caregiving.
