An Unexpected Diagnosis
Peter wasn't someone who worried much about his health. In fact, he rarely got sick. But over time, Olivia noticed something wasn't right.
"My wife and I had noticed that I was very lethargic, tired all the time," Peter recalled. "This lack of energy wasn't me. I was somebody who was always on the go."
After establishing care with a primary care physician, routine blood work uncovered elevated protein levels. Additional testing followed, and Peter was referred to an oncologist. When cancer was first mentioned, the reality didn't immediately sink in.
"I don't get sick. I'm a healthy person," Peter said. "Having a significant illness was not even on my radar."
But as more information became available, the possibility of multiple myeloma — a type of blood cancer that develops in plasma cells —became increasingly clear.
"The only thing I could hear was the word cancer," he said. "And it scared me."
Finding a Team
After an experience that felt impersonal and unsettling, Peter knew he needed a physician who would not only treat the disease but also guide him and his family through it.
His search led him to Texas Oncology-Houston Medical Center and hematologist-oncologist Vipal Pratin Durkal, M.D..
Peter recalls his first impression. "Dr. Durkal is just warm in the way he greets you," Peter said. "You could just tell that he was a humble servant. He was there to make you feel better."
More importantly, Dr. Durkal arrived with something Peter desperately needed: a plan.
"When it first sunk in that I had cancer, I thought the end was near," Peter said. "But then Dr. Durkal laid out a game plan. There was a peace around that plan that we could do it and we could beat the disease."
Instead of waiting and watching, Dr. Durkal mapped out an aggressive treatment strategy that included immunotherapy, a stem cell transplant and, eventually, a clinical trial.
"That was our goal," Peter said. "Never go down without a fight."
Keeping Life Normal
One aspect of care that proved especially meaningful was receiving treatment close to home. At first, Peter didn't want anyone outside his immediate family to know he had cancer. He wanted to continue being the same husband, father, and provider he had always been.
"Being close to home meant I could still work a full day," he said. "I could still be involved in my children's lives. I could spend time with my wife and do family activities."
Throughout treatment, Dr. Durkal encouraged him to maintain as much normalcy as possible.
"That was the message Dr. Durkal conveyed to me. Keep your life as normal as possible."
Facing Multiple Myeloma
Peter began treatment with a four-drug immunotherapy regimen. While effective, the road wasn't without challenges. With careful management from his care team, Peter successfully completed treatment before moving on to the next phase.
In December 2025, he underwent a stem cell transplant.
"I was admitted into the hospital on December 18 for a minimum four-week stay," he said.
Most people might not choose to spend the holidays in a hospital, but Peter received his stem cells back on Christmas Eve.
"Christmas Eve is technically my new birthday," he said with a smile. "My stem cell transplant was my Christmas present that year."
Although the transplant significantly reduced the extent of his disease, Peter still had measurable residual disease (MRD), meaning traces of myeloma remained, as anticipated.
Hope Through Clinical Trials
Following his transplant, Peter returned to Texas Oncology to discuss the next step.
"It was through Texas Oncology that I was able to find the right clinical trial to help me beat this cancer," he said.
The clinical trial uses an innovative immunotherapy approach designed to help the body's immune system identify and destroy cancer cells. Peter receives treatment every 28 days and is expected to continue the trial for 24 months.
Just a few months into treatment, the results have been encouraging. His disease markers have continued to fall, bringing him closer to a milestone known as MRD-negative status, meaning no remaining cancer cells can be detected in blood or bone marrow samples.
"The goal is to be MRD-negative and be cancer-free" Peter said.
Learning to Accept Help
Perhaps one of the hardest parts of Peter's cancer journey had nothing to do with treatment. It was learning to accept support. For most of his life, Peter had been the one helping others.
"I didn't want to tell people. I didn't want to be the sick guy," he said.
But once friends, coworkers, customers and community members learned about his diagnosis, the response was overwhelming.
"The outpouring of support and love I received was stunning," he said. "I've always been the person giving the support. Now I was the one asking for it."
That shift challenged his identity, but it also showed him how deeply he was cared for by the people around him.
Peter's Power
Among those supporters, no one was more important than his family.
"My wife is a rock in my life," Peter said. "She keeps my life in order. She helps me with everything it takes to be successful with my treatments."
While Olivia managed countless behind-the-scenes details, Peter's children found their own way to help. After hearing about a fellow patient who relied on public transportation to travel hours for treatment, Peter's son, daughter, and daughter's boyfriend felt compelled to act.Together, they created Peter's Power, a grassroots fundraising effort benefiting the Texas Oncology Foundation Patient Assistance Fund. Through social media and community support, they raised funds to help patients with everyday necessities, such as transportation, meals, and other barriers to care.
For Peter, watching his children step up during his illness became one of the proudest moments of his life.
"To watch them take ownership of helping others in my time of need meant the world to me," he said. "The amount of pride I have in the work they did is amazing. I can't even put it into words how much I love them and how proud I am of them."
Looking Forward
Today, Peter continues his clinical trial and remains focused on recovery. The man who once feared becoming "the sick guy" now sees himself differently.
"Now I'm the recovery guy," he said.
His message to others facing multiple myeloma is simple: don't give up hope.
"Multiple myeloma is a horrible disease, but it can be beaten," Peter said. "There are treatments today that weren't available two years ago. Research is happening every day. People are being saved, and the cure is near."
For Peter, that hope is what keeps him moving forward, one day at a time, surrounded by the family he loves most.
