Scott Williams:

February of 1999. My odds were 20% that I would survive four years after bone marrow transplant. Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma mantle cell was fairly rare and had a very low survival rate.

One thing we learned very early was to not get too caught up in the scary internet research. The other thing we know to be true, especially when everything else is spinning out of control, is to worry about what you have control over and turn the rest over to a higher power. What we did have control over was our selection of care at a world-class facility. The relationships developed with our health care team were so very special; so much so that when a surprise (second) 21st birthday party was thrown for me on Feb. 4, 2020, to mark the anniversary of the transplant, two people front and center were Dr. (Philip) Bierman (my oncologist) and Kathy Byar (my transplant coordinator) which made the surprise complete. 

Over the years there have been many medical specialties from Oncology to Orthopaedic Surgery to Neuro Surgery that I have needed to tap into and Nebraska Medicine was, is and will always be our choice for extraordinary health care.

Lisa Williams:        

Sept. 29, 2017, was the 19-year anniversary of Scott's diagnosis of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and also marked the day that I was receiving my first chemotherapy treatment for my triple-negative breast cancer diagnosis. While this felt surreal and scary, many of Scott's care team from 1999 stopped into my room to rally my spirits and let me know with their expertise, that I had this, and I could beat it.

If you've ever been given a cancer diagnosis, then you understand the whirlwind you are thrown into. The doctor's appointments from Oncology to Surgical Oncology to Radiation Oncology and genetic testing leaves your head spinning, but at Nebraska Medicine, the team approach leaves you knowing how all the treatment options fit together. Armed with information to make the right choices and the compassionate way my cancer care team outlined the treatment left me knowing with confidence that this was my best choice to beat breast cancer. Scott and I both feel so fortunate to continue to be cancer survivors; we have had the opportunity to celebrate our 35th wedding anniversary this past October, watch our two beautiful daughters grow into incredible young women making a difference in the world, and most importantly, we have many more chapters to write in the book of Scott and Lisa.