When the Nebraska Medicine Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Program celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2023, Bruce Sheffield, MD, was there.

The transplant program has been ranked as one of the world’s most active adult and pediatric stem cell transplant programs. It has averaged 150 transplants a year since its inception in 1983.

Dr. Sheffield, a retired pediatrician from Hastings, Nebraska, is one of the thousands of patients who have benefitted from the program’s success. Diagnosed with lymphoma 10 years ago, Dr. Sheffield received a transplant and has been in remission ever since.

During his treatment and recovery, Dr. Sheffield developed a deep admiration for Nebraska Medicine hematologist Matt Lunning, DO, for his work as a skilled physician, researcher and lifelong friend.

“After my initial test results came in, they were sent to Dr. Lunning, who was speaking at an international conference on lymphoma in Hawaii,” Dr. Sheffield recalls. “Dr. Lunning took the time to review the test results and then schedule an appointment to see me a few days later when he would be back in the office. I knew then that this was a special guy.”

After his appointment with Dr. Lunning, Dr. Sheffield began a four-month chemotherapy treatment regimen. This was followed by an autologous blood and bone marrow transplant.

“Dr. Lunning saved my life,” says Dr. Sheffield. “Over the course of my treatment, we became close friends.”

The significance of the transplant program’s 40th anniversary lingered with Dr. Sheffield for some time. He began to think more about how the program had changed the trajectory of his life and thousands of other cancer patients. He wanted to find a way to pass that gratitude and hope on to others in the future.

As a physician himself, Dr. Sheffield understands the importance of research in advancing medicine and improving treatments. He decided to create an endowed fund to support the ongoing lymphoma research of Dr. Lunning and his colleagues.

"I am so grateful for the care I received from Nebraska Medicine,” says Dr. Sheffield. “I’m hoping this fund will help the program continue to advance treatments and help other people with cancer.”

“People come from all over the world to receive treatment from our Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Program,” says Erin Dahms, development director for the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center. “Private donations like this bolster and strengthen our research program so we can attract other talented people. It also helps us qualify for federal research funding so we can continue to advance our program and sustain it at the top level.”