When Britt Mayo received a phone call from his doctor at 7:15 a.m. after a routine physical, he knew it wouldn\u2019t be good news.<\/p>\n
\u201cI remember hearing the diagnosis and my brain going completely blank,\u201d he says. \u201cIn that moment, my world shrank. I went from long-term life plans to wondering if I\u2019d make it to the next year.\u201d<\/p>\n
Diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL)<\/a> in 2010, Britt quickly realized that understanding his treatment options wasn\u2019t enough. He needed his care team to understand what mattered most to him.<\/p>\n Protecting what matters most<\/p>\n Britt\u2019s top priority was clear: live as long as possible \u2014 without compromising the parts of life that defined who he was.<\/p>\n Protecting the function of his hands was essential for the lifelong pianist and computer user. He wanted to avoid neuropathy<\/a>. He also hoped to prevent cognitive side effects, such as chemobrain<\/a>, that could affect his work and thinking. With family spread across the globe, travel mattered deeply to him and his wife, Diana.<\/p>\n At the time, the standard treatment for CLL involved chemotherapy<\/a>. Britt was hesitant. Through open conversations with his care team, he learned about an emerging clinical trial<\/a> that might be available in the future, allowing him to potentially avoid chemotherapy.<\/p>\n Together, he and his care team developed a watch-and-wait strategy designed to safely delay treatment until he could qualify for the clinical trial.<\/p>\n Why early conversations about cancer care matter<\/p>\n Looking back, Britt believes those early conversations were critical.<\/p>\n \u201cIf I had received even one round of chemotherapy, I would have been ineligible for the trial,\u201d he says. \u201cThat conversation changed everything.\u201d<\/p>\n Britt eventually enrolled in an immunotherapy<\/a> clinical trial and achieved remission \u2014 without compromising his life expectancy or the activities he valued most.<\/p>\n Today, immunotherapy has become a standard treatment for many patients with CLL. For Britt, aligning care with his priorities brought emotional relief as well as clinical benefits.<\/p>\n \u201cBefore we had that conversation, there was tension between what I wanted and what I thought I had to do,\u201d he says. \u201cOnce the plan matched my goals, I felt at ease. That\u2019s a liberating feeling.\u201d<\/p>\n He has since spoken with hundreds of fellow patients during clinical trials and clinic visits. Many, he says, didn\u2019t realize they had choices.<\/p>\n \u201cI can\u2019t tell you how many times people told me they didn\u2019t know there were options,\u201d he says. \u201cEarly communication could have sent them down a very different path.\u201d<\/p>\n He emphasizes that every diagnosis is different. Some cancers have multiple treatment options, while others require a specific approach.<\/p>\n \u201cAt a place like UT MD Anderson that has deep experience and offers many treatment approaches, patients often have options,\u201d he says. \u201cBut even when choices are limited, understanding a patient\u2019s goals helps the care team support quality of life, symptom management and family needs.\u201d<\/p>\n Supporting better communication with care teams<\/p>\n Britt has become passionate about helping other patients communicate their priorities early and often.<\/p>\n He is encouraged by tools designed to support these conversations. UT MD Anderson recently added a new tool to MyChart called\u00a0Koda Health<\/a>. It\u2019s a secure, patient-facing website that helps patients reflect on their goals, organize their thoughts and share what matters most with their care team and loved ones. If they choose, patients can also complete and securely store their advance directives.<\/p>\n