1800 Williams St., Suite 200 • Denver, CO 80218
Phone 303-388-4876 • Fax 303-336-2193 • Toll Free 1-800-891-7622

URL http://www.rockymountainbmt.com/patient_stories/Wayne-Marrone-26.html

Wayne Marrone

"Anything has to be better than sitting on the couch.”

That thought was on Wayne Marrone’s mind throughout the weeks and months leading up to and following his autologous transplant for Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma in 2001. Wayne continued working almost to the date of his transplant and was back at work three months later.

“The worst part of the whole process was how sick I got immediately after the transplant,” said Wayne. “The side effects were worse than the ones I experiences with chemotherapy but I kept telling myself that what I was feeling wouldn’t last forever. I knew the odds of recovery were with me.”

During the difficult time that followed his transplant, Wayne received support form everyone at The Rocky Mountain Blood and Marrow Transplant Program who devoted themselves to his care. Ultimately, it was his wife who really supported his recovery process. She took over everything, even as he took much of his frustration and uncertainty out on her. In fact, she was so intent on making him feel better that she found and contacted the Diana Price-Fish Cancer Foundation, a nonprofit organization dedicated to helping adult cancer patients in Colorado. The foundation gave Wayne tickets to a Broncos game which got him out of the house and lifted his spirits.

“That game was probably the best part of my transplant experience,” said Wayne. “Leading up to it, I was so delirious that I couldn’t make sense of many things, but I will always remember sitting in the seventh row that day.”