Mark Daniels is a two-time cancer survivor, as well as a Navy vet and retired commercial pilot

Mark Daniels

Mark Daniels, an 83-year-old veteran and former fighter pilot, was shocked by his lymphoma diagnosis because he maintained exceptional physical fitness.

How CAR T-Cell Therapy Helped This Veteran Beat Cancer Twice 

Mark Daniels, an 83-year-old veteran and former fighter pilot, was shocked by his lymphoma diagnosis. He had always maintained physical fitness through running, weightlifting and rigorous military training, spending decades in top shape. His military experience, especially the discipline and physical demands of flying fighter jets, had taught him the importance of endurance, strength, and mental toughness.

Because of his healthy lifestyle, the cancer diagnosis came as a complete surprise; Daniels had no symptoms and felt fine, making the news difficult to accept.

He has since faced lymphoma twice and credits CAR T-cell therapy with saving his life.

What was going through your mind when you were first diagnosed? How did you find strength during that time?

When I became a fighter pilot, staying in good shape was part of the recipe for success. Even though we wore G suits — which were supposed to help — you still had to be physically fit. We used the term “pull G’s” because, usually, they were positive G-forces. If you and I were in an aerial fight, it came down to who could turn tighter, who could hold it longer. It was very competitive.

That’s why I think our fighter pilots, and probably the Israeli fighter pilots too, are the cream of the crop. Because we practiced constantly. The way you get good — I'm sure you’ve heard the saying “iron sharpens iron” — is by going up against the best. Whether it's soccer or dogfighting, if you go against weaker people, you don’t have to be at your best. But when you go against the best, you not only have to be on your game, you learn from them. If they beat you, you get better. So, it was a constant competition.

Because of that, we stayed in shape. They taught us a method to go beyond what the G suit could do — called “grunt breathing.” You’d take a deep breath and squeeze every muscle you had. That tightened the muscles around your blood vessels, so when you pulled G’s, the blood wouldn’t drain from your head. If you didn’t do that, you’d gray out at 6 or 7 G’s. But if you did, you might last to 7 or 8. That could mean the difference between winning or losing.

So, I guess that was the culture I came from. And then, when I got into the airlines, the FAA required a physical every six months, a pretty rigorous one, including an EKG, because they didn’t want pilots flying with potential health issues.

I guess I took the long way around to say this, but my whole life, I’ve been oriented toward physical fitness. I was a, I don’t know if you’ve heard the term “gym rat,” but that was me. I was always as good or better than most people my age. I watched what I ate, I never smoked, I didn’t drink. When you feel healthy, truly healthy, running 40 miles a week, going to the gym three or four times a week, doing things with people 15 years younger and holding your own.

Then you go to the doctor, and he says, “You have cancer.”

You think, “No. This can’t be. I’m not sick. I don’t feel sick.”

So that’s probably what it was — a total shock and disbelief.

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Videos

Mark Daniels, 83, credits CAR T-cell therapy and compassionate care for helping him overcome lymphoma and endure the isolating treatment toll.

A Veteran Reflects on CAR T-Cell Therapy and Isolation

Mark Daniels, an 83-year-old veteran, pilot and gym enthusiast, has faced lymphoma twice and credits CAR T-cell therapy with saving his life.

In the video, Daniels shares how he approached the unknowns of CAR T-cell therapy with the same rigor he brought to flying Navy fighter jets and commercial aircraft. “You don’t go into something that complex without understanding it,” he says. He recalls the 

 and the care team at John Theurer Cancer Center, Hackensack Meridian Health, including a head nurse who took time to explain the treatment in detail.

Goy serves as physician in chief of Oncology Care Transformation Services at Hackensack Meridian Health. He is also chairman and chief physician officer of John Theurer Cancer Center and leads the lymphoma division at the center’s location within Hackensack University Medical Center.

Daniels describes the physical and emotional toll of CAR T, especially the isolation: “It’s kind of like being in solitary.”

Despite this, he goes on to emphasizes the professionalism and compassion of every nurse he encountered — more than 100, by his count — as a critical part of his experience.

Now in remission, Daniels remains grateful for the science and the people who guided him through.

What was your experience like with CAR T-cell therapy, and how did you stay positive through its challenges?

Well, first of all, one of the things about approaching something scary is that you don’t have all the knowledge. You have to gather information — find out what exactly they’re going to do, what it’s designed to do, how it works, what the prognosis is, what the chances are. I think Hackensack does a terrific job with that.

I expressed my reservations to Dr. Goy about the whole thing — I just didn’t understand it. And again, maybe as an aside, going back, you don’t strap into a Navy fighter jet and go flying unless you understand everything that’s going on. It can be very deadly if you don’t have all your ducks in a row. Same with commercial airline flying. Every six months, they send you to a simulator where they set engines on fire, break pressurization — all kinds of things. You have to be prepared.

Well, going into something like CAR T, I didn’t even know what it stood for. You hear ‘CAR T’ and — total blank. Dr. Goy arranged for the head nurse to come and talk to me. She was such a nice lady. She didn’t come in with the attitude of “I’ve got 10 minutes, what do you want to know?” It was more like, “I’m here — ask me questions.” And she told me the what, why, how, when, where — everything. That puts you at ease. And then, you just go through it. You suck it up.

You know it’s not going to be fun. Nothing is — whether you're getting your tonsils out, your tooth pulled, or you have a broken ankle — it’s not fun. It’s not something you say, “Oh, what are we doing this weekend? Let’s go get CAR T.” It’s not like that. But because you understand it, and because you have every confidence in the professionals...

And as an aside, I have to say: through all of this, I probably interacted with easily over 100 different nurses. Every single one of them, without exception, was knowledgeable, competent, and compassionate. They really interacted with you.

When you’re going through CAR T, you’re kind of isolated. I said to someone, it’s kind of like being in prison—like when you’re a bad prisoner, and they put you in solitary. That’s kind of what CAR T is. You’re in solitary. Usually, the only person you see is one nurse, and she’s wearing a mask, gloves, gown — all of that. That part, I think, was the hardest: the isolation. The days seemed like weeks.

Transcript has been edited for clarity and conciseness.

Mark Daniels

How CAR T-Cell Therapy Helped This Veteran Beat Cancer Twice

A Veteran Reflects on CAR T-Cell Therapy and Isolation

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