How CAR‑T Cell Therapy at Stephenson Cancer Center Supported Wesley Through B‑Cell Lymphoma

When 31-year-old Wesley Haines of Springfield, Missouri, began feeling unwell, he assumed it was just a lingering cold or stomach bug. The nausea came first, then the coughing. Over the next few weeks, the cough worsened until he couldn’t stop coughing. It was time to see a doctor.

An X-ray revealed a large mass in Wesley’s upper chest. The clinic immediately sent him to the emergency room, where doctors drained fluid from around his lungs and began further testing. The diagnosis was a shock — primary mediastinal large B cell lymphoma, a fast-growing cancer of the lymphatic system that forms in white blood cells called B lymphocytes.

The moment Wesley’s parents heard the news, they drove straight from their home in Shawnee, Oklahoma, to Springfield to be by Wesley’s side.

In June 2023, Wesley began six courses of intensive chemotherapy followed by months of additional treatment with a portable infusion pump. He worked part-time when he could as he adjusted to the treatment and its side effects.

“It all happened fast,” Wesley said. “I was in the hospital for about a month, and my parents were there every day. After I got out, they stayed nearby while I continued chemo. I couldn’t have done it without them.”

By December, the cancer had responded well to treatment, but it wasn’t completely gone. Wesley’s care team began discussing next steps and a promising treatment called chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy (CAR-T cell therapy).

What is Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-cell Therapy?

CAR-T cell therapy uses a patient’s own immune cells to fight cancer. The T cells are collected through a blood draw and sent to a specialized lab for genetic modification, where a chimeric antigen receptor, or CAR, is added so they can better recognize cancer cells that normal T cells often miss. Once put back into the patient’s bloodstream, they can more effectively find and attack the cancer.

Benefits of CAR-T cell therapy include:

• High response rates: Many patients get better with treatment and about half achieve complete remission.
• Lasting results: Many patients maintain improvement for a year or more.
• Targeted treatment: CAR-T cells attack cancer cells while sparing healthy tissue.
• Minimal residual disease: Many patients have no detectable cancer after treatment.
• Better quality of life: Effective disease control often means fewer symptoms.

With his doctors’ recommendation, Wesley decided this advanced treatment was right for him. Because only a few programs in the region offer CAR-T cell therapy, he had two options: travel to St. Louis, or return to his home state of Oklahoma, where OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center provides the therapy. The decision was easy.

Returning to Oklahoma meant being close to his family who had cared for him through every stage of chemotherapy. This time, they could offer the same support but close to home.

Wesley Begins CAR-T Cell Therapy

In June 2024, Wesley began the CAR-T process under the care of hematologist-oncologist Dr. Taha Al-Juhaishi, M.D., assistant professor of medicine, Section of Hematology, Hematopoietic Cell Transplantation and Cell Therapy Program at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center. Wesley’s T cells were collected and sent to a specialized lab for modification. When he returned to Stephenson Cancer Center a few weeks later, those modified cells were infused back into his bloodstream. The outpatient procedure took around 15 minutes.

That first night, Wesley developed a fever due to a common side effect of CAR-T cell therapy known as cytokine release syndrome (CRS), along with neurotoxicity. CRS occurs when the immune system becomes overactive after treatment, causing symptoms like fever, fatigue, and low blood pressure. Neurotoxicity, another known reaction to CAR-T cell therapy, affects the nervous system and can cause confusion, tremors, or difficulty speaking, making its side effects more severe. Wesley was admitted to the hospital for observation and treated with steroids and cytokine blockers under close supervision.

“With the cytokine release syndrome, the usual effects are fevers and fatigue — almost like a bad flu,” said Dr. Al-Juhaishi. “About 90% of the patients that get this type of CAR-T get some degree of cytokine release syndrome. Wesley had some complications and needed to be hospitalized but his side effects were managed well.”

His parents were nearby, taking turns at his bedside and helping during recovery. When Wesley returned to their home, they handled meals, appointments, and day-to-day care while he regained his strength. Tremors in his hands lasted several weeks and fatigue lingered, but progress came slowly and steadily.

Hope and Healing, Surrounded by Family

A later PET scan confirmed Wesley and his family’s hopes — no sign of cancer. Wesley’s strength returned and his weight stabilized. By October 2024 he was back to work full time as a graphic designer in Springfield.

“I feel normal again,” he said. “I still take medication and try to be careful about not getting sick, but I’m doing well. The doctors say my numbers look good.”

Access to CAR-T cell therapy at OU Health meant Wesley could stay near the people who mattered most.

“It was great that the treatment was near my parents,” he said. “I could stay with them instead of being on my own in another city. My whole family was there for me — my parents, my sister. They made everything easier.”

Wesley continues regular follow-up care and monthly immune-boosting injections, and his outlook remains positive.

“They say B cell lymphoma is beatable,” Wesley said. “A lot of people live long lives after it. I’m very optimistic.”

CAR-T Cell Therapy at OU Health Stephenson Cancer Center

“When patients come to OU Health for CAR-T or other advanced cancer treatments, they receive a full second opinion and access to options that may not be available elsewhere,” explained Dr. Al-Juhaishi. “For blood cancers, that includes CAR-T cell therapy, bone marrow transplant and clinical trials. In Oklahoma, we’re the only center offering CAR-T, so if that’s what a patient needs, this is the place to get it.”

OU Health provides a comprehensive CAR-T process, from initial evaluation and blood collection to genetic modification of T cells and infusion — all managed by a dedicated team of cancer specialists. Patients are supported every step of the way, with personalized care and access to the latest clinical trials.

Learn more about CAR-T advanced cellular therapy, make an appointment or seek a second opinion at Stephenson Cancer Center at (405) 271-1112