Faces of Hope

Jim Deupree

Multiple Myeloma Survivor

"When I held our first grandchild in my arms, I broke down," admits Jim Deupree, who is known for his calm and quiet strength.

After Jim was diagnosed with multiple myeloma at age 54, he and his wife, Jill, prayed he would live to see their children graduate from college, marry and one day start families of their own. Their fears for the future were compounded when Jim’s beloved older sister, Carole, who had been diagnosed with multiple myeloma before Jim, lost her own battle with the disease in a few short years. And so the Deuprees considered all of the milestones Jim has experienced as gifts made possible by stem cell transplants overseen by oncologist-hematologist Stephano Tarantolo, MD.

They are grateful for the care and support of the entire Methodist Estabrook Cancer Center team and for each warm welcome received when Jim has returned to the Methodist Hospital Oncology Unit, where Jill said, "The nurses treat us like old friends." Jim and Jill, now grandparents, are enjoying for the next major milestone: retirement. "Today there is no cure," Jim explains, "but there is treatment, and there is hope."