Margaret’s Story: A Chance Reunion Leads to Hope and Healing

Margaret Johnson learned the power of timing after a chance reconnection with an old friend—one that would ultimately help shape her cancer journey.

In August 2021, she noticed blood in her urine while at work. It was an unusual symptom, but it stopped, and she didn’t think much of it. A month later, the bleeding returned, this time accompanied by severe back pain. She knew it was time to see her primary care physician.

Her physician ordered a urine culture and sent her for an ultrasound. When her physician called immediately after the ultrasound and asked her to come in, Margaret knew something was wrong.

That afternoon, she learned she had kidney cancer.

“Who would have ever thought?” Margaret recalled thinking. “The crazy part is that I work for a nephrologist, a kidney specialist. I know the background of anything dealing with the kidneys.”

When her physician asked where she wanted to receive the treatment, Margaret’s priority was finding a cancer center that could see her quickly. Her physician recommended American Oncology Network (AON) partner practice Genesis Cancer and Blood Institute (GCBI), which had a location near Margaret’s office in Hot Springs, Arkansas. Margaret decided to take a few days to research her options.

Later that week, Margaret was back at work when Jan Smithson, a physician liaison at GCBI, walked into her office. Margaret immediately thought Jan looked familiar. As they talked, they realized they had met years earlier through work. Now, they were both in new jobs and hadn’t seen each other in 10 years.

The timing felt like fate when Jan mentioned that she worked at GCBI. But Margaret hesitated to tell her about her recent diagnosis. She had struggled to share the news with her family and wasn’t sure she was ready to tell someone she hadn’t seen in years.

As Jan started to leave, Margaret stopped her.

“She was walking to the elevator when I told her that I had just found out that I had cancer and was considering Genesis for treatment,” Margaret said. “She came back and told me to write down the name of the doctor I wanted to see and my phone number. She said she would go to her office and get back to me in 15 minutes.”

Margaret had already researched GCBI physicians and knew exactly who she wanted to see. She wrote down the name and her contact information and handed them to Jan.

In that moment, Margaret and Jan both felt that their unexpected reunion was meant to happen.

“That’s been the joke between the two of us,” Margaret said of their relationship. “God sent her to me, and we bonded. We were essentially joined at the hip once we reconnected.”

Four days later, Margaret was at GCBI for her first appointment with her first-choice physician, Dr. A. Lynn Cleveland.

“Dr. Cleveland was my first choice, and I knew that she was my best choice,” Margaret said. “When I was looking for an oncologist, I wanted someone I could feel comfortable being vulnerable with.”

From their first conversation, Margaret knew she had made the right decision. One of the first things Dr. Cleveland told her was, “You will not lose your hair. You will not be sick over treatment.”

By then, Margaret’s cancer had spread from her kidney to her lymph node and her lung. Dr. Cleveland outlined a treatment plan that included Keytruda, an immunotherapy medication used to treat several types of cancer. Margaret received her first Keytruda treatment at her initial appointment and was relieved by how easy it was.

Her treatment plan also included oral chemotherapy to help “kickstart” the Keytruda. That part of treatment was more difficult. Margaret lost her appetite and weight, but she had a strong support system to help her through it.

Her tight-knit family of eight—made up of all only children—including her mother, husband, son, daughter-in-law, parents and their granddaughter, rallied around her.

That winter, her family found a particularly meaningful way to keep her spirits up. Every year, Margaret decorates her home with 16 Christmas trees, each with a different theme. During her first year of treatment, she didn’t have the energy to decorate, so her family stepped in and put up the trees for her, helping preserve a beloved tradition and bring some joy during a difficult time.

After eight months, Margaret completed oral chemotherapy and continued Keytruda for three more years. She often received her treatments during her lunch break and then returned to work, rarely experiencing side effects. Being able to maintain her routine helped her feel more like herself.

“I didn’t feel bad during Keytruda treatments at all,” she recalled. “I had no idea I was even getting treatment, except for being hooked up to an IV.”

Throughout her treatment, Margaret also found support in the GCBI team. She regularly saw Dr. Cleveland and Nurse Practitioner Cody Williams, APRN.

“GCBI is great. Dr. Cleveland and Cody were wonderful in my recovery. They are very supportive and personable,” she said.

By 2023, the treatment had eliminated the cancer from Margaret’s lymph node and lung and had done all it could for the cancer on her kidney. In October of that year, Margaret had her kidney removed.

Following surgery, Dr. Cleveland continued treating Margaret with Keytruda until June 2024. Pleased with Margaret’s progress, Dr. Cleveland discussed the next steps with her and made it clear that the decision was ultimately Margaret’s.

“She said there was no right or wrong answer, but that we had progressed as long as the Keytruda was working,” Margaret said. “Whether I wanted to stop or continue was my choice.”

Out of an abundance of caution, Margaret chose to continue treatment through November 2024.

The following month, Margaret, reached a milestone she had envisioned since the beginning of her cancer journey: She rang the bell at GCBI, officially marking the end of her treatment, with her family and Jan by her side.

But when the moment finally arrived, Margaret realized the bell represented something different than she had expected.

“When I rang the bell, it didn’t seem like the end of a journey,” she said. “It felt like starting a new chapter.”