Todd Coburn's Story

When you hear the words "scientific research," you probably think of spotless laboratories filled with test tubes and technicians in white coats. But when cancer-survivor Todd Coburn hears the phrase, his thoughts turn to his satisfying job as an electrician, his recent two-week vacation in Paris and the woman he plans to marry next summer.

"Everything I have today is because of research," said Todd, who in 1992 was treated with an experimental therapy at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. "None of this would be here without it."

Over the past 13 years, the Hutchinson Center has turned out to be much more than the institution that restored Todd's health. It's also the place where he works, volunteers his time to support patients and their families — and where he met his fiancée, Sarah. "Getting leukemia was blessing in disguise," he said.

Those weren't Todd's thoughts during the summer before his senior year of high school in Yakima, Wash., when he was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia, a deadly cancer that attacks the blood system. Like most other 17-year-olds, serious illness — much less cancer — was the furthest thing from his mind.

The first hint that he was sick occurred shortly after a routine wisdom-tooth extraction, when his mouth wouldn't stop bleeding. His doctor ordered a blood test, which revealed a white-blood-cell count fifty times higher than it should have been — a hallmark of leukemia.

"I was pretty sure I had heard the doctor wrong and remember asking my dad if I had understood him correctly," he remembered. "I was only 17 — at that time in your life, you think you're invincible."

A local oncologist treated Todd with oral chemotherapy to get his blood count under control. But the doctor told him that he would likely need a bone-marrow transplant — the only procedure known to cure that type of cancer — and that the Hutchinson Center in Seattle was the best place to have it.

Todd would need a marrow donor for the transplant, but none of his family members had a tissue type that matched his own. In December of 1992, he initiated a search for an unrelated donor through the National Marrow Donor Program, which maintains an registry of individuals who are willing to donate. During the three months it took to identify a suitable match, Todd took extra classes and was able to finish his high school coursework before he and his parents would begin a four-and-a-half-month stay at the Hutchinson Center in Seattle for his transplant and recovery.

He remembers that in spite of the seriousness of his illness — and the fact that the procedure was still considered experimental — the nurses and doctors instilled in him a "real feeling of security."

"The nurses, especially the inpatient nurses, were totally different from anything I had ever known about nursing," he said. "They were so dedicated. And even though they saw a lot of hardship every day, they were upbeat for those of us who were sick. But I also appreciated how open the doctors and nurses were with me — they didn't hide anything. It was so clear that they knew what they were doing."

Todd's transplant was successful, and in July of 1993, he returned to Yakima. "The initial re-entry period was the hardest part of the recovery," he said. "It was a tough age to feel like you fit in, and my family had only recently moved to Yakima from Montana, so I still didn't have many friends there. But about six months later, I started a two-year trade program as an electrician, and got back into life."

Although his cancer treatment was over, the Hutchinson Center would continue to touch his life. In 2000, while living in Everett, Wash., Todd attended a patient reunion at the Hutchinson Center and was inspired to join the patient-family volunteer program, an activity he continues to this day.

"I do airport pickups and drop-offs for the families that come out here for treatment," he said. "They really appreciate it — it's hard enough to pick up and move halfway across the country, but when you're doing it with a major life crisis going on, it's really a challenge. And I think it's helpful for them to learn that I've been through it — it makes them see that there's a light at the end of the tunnel."

He also acts as a facilitator for monthly support-group meetings for fellow volunteers at the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance, the cancer-care facility where Hutchinson Center physicians treat patients.

In 2001, while browsing through the Sunday newspaper at his sister's house, Todd saw an advertisement for an electrician job at the Hutchinson Center. He decided to apply — and was offered the position.

"What I really enjoy about working here is to see the amazing research that goes on — and to know that I'm a part of making that possible," he said. "Even in the 13 years since I was treated, they've learned so much. And if it weren't for research prior to my illness, I wouldn't be sitting here today."

In 2003, the Hutchinson Center would touch another part of Todd's life. While attending a volunteer event for the Pete Gross House, which provides housing for Hutchinson Center patient families, a friend introduced him to Sarah, a fellow volunteer. On Valentine's Day, 2005, Todd proposed to her at the top of the Eiffel Tower during their two-week vacation to France.

Four years ago, Todd experienced a partial relapse that was detected early thanks to a test developed at the Hutchinson Center. The drug Gleevec has kept the leukemia in remission and his attitude positive.

"When people go through a serious illness — if you can continue to experience life to the fullest extent — it gives you a new perspective on life. Thanks to the Hutchinson Center, I've been able to do that."