Eva Podstata of Canton is a nurse at Northside Hospital Cherokee. She is used to caring for others. But in March 2021, she became the patient after she began experiencing persistent hip pain. At 59, she attributed it to “old age.”
The pain became so severe, Eva said, that it took all she had just to walk to her office each day. She tried exercises and over-the-counter pain medication, but nothing helped.
In July, a friend recommended she see Dr. Matthew Simmons at Northside Hospital Orthopedic - Sports Medicine. Dr. Simmons performed X-rays and prescribed exercises and muscle relaxers. When Eva still didn’t improve, he ordered an MRI of her spine.
The results confirmed multiple myeloma.
After losing her husband to cancer a decade earlier, Eva said she didn’t think she had the strength to face another cancer journey.
What follows is a story of treatment, setbacks, faith and resilience — in Eva’s words — culminating in CAR T-cell therapy and a return to remission.
Dr. Simmons called me to his office, reviewed the results, murmured under his breath, “multiple myeloma,” and then said, “I made you an appointment with Georgia Cancer Specialists.”
I was never expecting to hear those words. They played on rewind in my mind. … I called my daughter, Rebecca, who is also a nurse and was pregnant with my first grandchild.
In August, after more testing — including a PET scan and blood work — I had a consult with Georgia Cancer Specialists. They told me everything about multiple myeloma. I wanted to run. I had walked down this path with my husband … and with friends, family and patients. I didn’t have it in me to do it again for myself.
Then, in walked a case manager. She introduced herself, and I said, “Thank you for doing what you do and being who you are,” because I was throwing in the towel. I was not going to put my family through this again.
My daughters had a different perspective. They had already lost one parent and they were not going to lose another. They were ready to fight for me.
At Georgia Cancer Specialists, under the care of Dr. Navneet Dhillon and Dr. Lynn Zemsky, I was started on Revlimid. My pain subsided and my blood work improved. They offered me radiation, but I declined because the pain was gone. However, I lost feeling in my feet due to peripheral neuropathy, a side effect of this medication.
I was taken off Revlimid and placed on Velcade. I was referred to Northside Hospital’s Blood & Marrow Transplant Program and to Dr. Lawrence Morris, now retired, of The Blood and Marrow Transplant Group of Georgia.
Dr. Morris was encouraging. He explained that although multiple myeloma is not curable, it is treatable. There were new treatments coming up, with new options on the horizon. Dr. Morris discussed the option of a stem cell transplant and thought this would be a good option for me. I could gain an extra two to four years.
I would hear only bits of conversations. Some words were triggering, as I had gone down this road with my husband before. I became fixated on certain words and couldn’t get past them.
My daughter Sarah agreed to be my caregiver. I would need someone to commit to being with me for the 100 days after each transplant. I was going to receive a tandem stem cell transplant.
Although I always walked in peace about what was ahead of me, I knew God was with me and goes before me. My fear was of the unknown.
With the second transplant, I knew what to expect — especially the power of melphalan, the chemotherapy drug that takes you down and nearly takes you out.
By God’s grace, I made it through both transplants. I experienced cytokine release syndrome, a storm that landed me in the ICU at Northside both times. Once again, God provided, surrounding me with the most compassionate, competent people. Although I didn’t know what each day would bring, I know who brings each day, and I know who I am.
Two years later, after multiple trips to Atlanta — taken by my youngest daughter, Olivia, who was in college at the time, and by my friend’s husband, Bill Redmond — for bone scans, bone marrow biopsies and lab work, I received difficult news. In 2024, at Georgia Cancer Specialists, Alyssa, Dr. Zemsky’s physician assistant, told me I was no longer in remission. She quietly mentioned there was something new on the horizon: CAR T-cell therapy, where your cells are reprogrammed to attack your specific cancer.
I wanted to know more and returned to see Dr. Morris, who confirmed the relapse.
There were signs — pain, illnesses, shortness of breath. I asked about CAR T-cell therapy. … I wanted a second opinion.
I took the information back to my doctors. At the time, I had to fail four treatments before I could proceed with CAR T-cell therapy. Then that same week, I got news that Velcade was no longer working. Dr. Morris called me back into his office and said we could move forward.
My friend Gina Dubiel joined me for the next discussion. We carefully reviewed the treatment and its potential side effects. I also took the most educated of my family with me — my son-in-law Alex, an attorney, to help evaluate the risks and benefits.
The potential side effects were concerning. Having my cells removed and sent off for reprogramming didn’t sound good to me. But my options were limited. Dr. Morris reminded me that many of the side effects were treatable — similar to what I had experienced during my bone marrow transplants. I grabbed hold of this and clung to those words.
My family was worth this fight. I was set. I was going to have it.
My cousin Wynona called me; she knew my situation and the need for a committed caregiver for 100 days. She told me it would be her — that the Lord had heavily laid this on her heart.
On Dec. 24, 2024, I had my CAR T-cell infusion.
I am currently back in remission.
I am so thankful to God and to so many who have come alongside me and walked with me through this — my family, friends with their meal trains, neighbors, Northside Hospital Cherokee leadership, my colleagues in Employee Health and the staff at Georgia Cancer Specialists. To my transplant and CAR T-cell family — Alex Tuuk, PA-C; Dr. Larry Morris; Dr. Joseph Maakaron; and the many nurses and staff members at the Northside BMT unit and the BMTGA infusion clinic — thank you. Your comforting words of encouragement and support, your kindness, matter.
I believe the hardest part of my journey was letting go and letting the experts do their jobs — to trust God and to trust those He placed in my life.
Being too weak, I could do nothing but watch — how He provides and shows up — and hang on to hope.
LEARN MORE ABOUT MULTIPLE MYELOMA CARE AT NORTHSIDE.
*The health story shared here is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Patients should consult with their own physician before making medical decisions.
