Surviving and thriving in the battle against multiple myeloma
Rapid City local Tony Corbine has been fighting back against this cancer for years longer than expected.
COURT DOCS: 8 arrested in Madison ICE raid
Tony and Mary Corbine have been hands-on members of the community for years, working with the Club for Boys, the Hope Center and Feeding South Dakota whenever they can.
After his diagnosis, Tony Corbine was only given a few months to live without any treatments.
'The first couple of years were hit and miss, you know it's kind of a shock when you hear you have six months to live and it's June or May and you think well maybe I'll make Christmas. But then as far as that I've been really really fortunate that my body and that there are remedies out there to keep me and prolong my life,' Survivor Tony Corbine said.
Tony was diagnosed in Rapid City at Monument Health. After a referral, he and his wife Mary headed to Mayo Clinic in Minnesota for treatments. Despite timelines moving, the idea of a final Christmas was on the mind.
'The numbers were changing, but you're still not sure on how long this is going to work, and there's not another option after this. So that's one thing that's so different now than it was then. But yeah, come Christmas you want to do things normally, but you want it to sparkle a little bit,' Mary Corbine said.
Monument Health and the Mayo Clinic were able to work together to provide the best support they could to help Tony in his battle with cancer.
'Both emotionally and physically it's taxing, it's a life-changing diagnosis and changes their life around this diagnosis unfortunately. And we're here to support them as best as we can and we work together as a team, doctors, nurses and all the support staff as well to help them achieve their goals,' Monument Health CCI Medical Director Abdel Azzouqa said.
Over the past few years, they've been able to enjoy life both at home and while traveling with family, something they didn't think they'd be able to do back in 2018.
'So it doesn't weigh on my mind as much other than the anxiety that I feed it. Obviously, if I feed it with like oh gosh this is happening, this is going to happen, I've defeated myself before I've even put my foot on the floor,' Tony Corbine said.
'Every person is a little bit different, we see all types of personalities. But definitely some people stand out by their perseverance and their ability to overcome adversity and these patients typically do better than most people.' Azzouqa Said
Tony was able to receive a stem-cell transplant in 2020, and later a successful CAR-T therapy with Carvykti.
'That has been what has prolonged things for Tony. That's the part where he mentioned Carvykti, that's with the CAR-T cell transplant. It's so crazy, it's like, I don't know all the science behind it but what I know is they take his cells, they re-engineered them to fight his cancer and then they use that drug Carvykti to do that,' Mary Corbine said.
'You kind of see what life is really like when you strip it down. Minus the titles or power or friction, you get to that spot where it's just you. You and between you and god or the creator and realizing that the time that you have, make use of it,' Tony Corbine said.
Tony has been in remission for over 2 years and his mental health continues to improve as the need for treatment decreases.
Tony continues to have a positive attitude regarding his situation and continues to fight every day, living his life the best he can.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Los Angeles Times
4 hours ago
- Los Angeles Times
‘Relentlessly debilitating,' the chronic symptoms of Lyme disease
Grammy award-winning pop star Justin Timberlake, 44, recently took to Instagram to share his diagnosis of Lyme disease, a bacterial infection that he said was, 'relentlessly debilitating, both mentally and physically.' His statement comes on the heels of criticism from fans who felt he was under-performing during his recent world tour. 'When I first got the diagnosis I was shocked for sure,' the post stated. 'But, at least I could understand why I would be onstage and in a massive amount of nerve pain or, just feeling crazy fatigue or sickness.' Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by borrelia burgdorferi, a bacterial species that can spread to people and animals from the bite of a deer tick — also called a black-legged tick — carrying the bacteria, according to the Mayo Clinic. Experts say ticks that carry the bacteria live throughout most of the United States, although the incidence of Lyme disease is far less prevalent in California than it is in the American Northeast, Midwest and mid-Atlantic states. (The disease is named after the town of Lyme, Connecticut, where an outbreak was first identified in the 1970s.) In California, western black-legged ticks are carriers of Lyme disease and are commonly found in northern coastal counties and in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, according to the California Department of Public Health. Between 2013 and 2019, there were 904 new cases of Lyme disease in the state. During that time period, the average rates of Lyme disease were highest in Santa Cruz (4 cases per 100,000 people), Humboldt (about 3 cases per 100,000 people) and Sonoma Counties (about 2 cases per 100,000 people). Lyme disease often goes undiagnosed 'due to the breadth and migratory nature of its symptoms—ranging from headaches and fatigue to joint pain, body aches, balance issues, memory loss, myocarditis, anxiety, insomnia, and depression,' the Bay Area Lyme Foundation, a nonprofit that studies the disease, stated in a post on X. Most people completely recover from the disease when treated with a two- to four-week course of antibiotics. Others have prolonged symptoms of fatigue, body, aches or difficulty thinking, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. When a bacteria-infected tick bites a person, or animal, the bacteria is released from the mouth of the tick and into the bloodstream, where it can then spread throughout the body, according to Bay Area Lyme Foundation. If a tick becomes attached to your skin, the CDC recommends you remove it as soon as possible. Consult your health care provider if you show any symptoms of the disease. Your body's reaction to the infection varies from person to person and symptoms show up in stages. Some people with Lyme disease don't have symptoms in the early stages of the infection, according to the Mayo Clinic. Common symptoms of Lyme disease are fever, rash, facial paralysis, an irregular heartbeat, and arthritis. These symptoms can happen in stages. During the first stage, which occurs 3 to 30 days after a tick bite, a person can develop a circular rash around the site of the bite. The rash can become clear in the center, and resemble a target or bull's-eye. During this first stage, infected people can experience a fever, headache, extreme tiredness, joint stiffness, muscle aches and pains or swollen lymph nodes. In the second stage, which occurs three to 10 weeks after a bite, symptoms can escalate. They include: Symptoms in the third stage of the disease, which begins two to 12 months after a tick bite, include arthritis in large joints, particularly the knees. Pain, swelling or stiffness may last for a long time or can come and go. People with prolonged symptoms of Lyme disease, called Post-Treatment Lyme Disease Syndrome, usually get better over time without additional antibiotics, but it can take many months to feel completely well, according to the CDC. The cause of pro-longed symptoms is currently unknown. Ticks are commonly found in outdoor areas with grass, shrubs, rocks, logs and fallen leaves. You don't have to avoid these areas, but should instead wear protective clothing to prevent a tick from latching onto your skin. Before you go on your outdoor activity, plan to wear long-sleeve shirts and pants. With your protective clothes on, apply insect repellent to garments and exposed skin, according to the state public health department. During your hike, check yourself and any pets for ticks that might be crawling on you. If you do see a tick, remove it right away. When you return home from your excursion, inspect your clothes, body and scalp for any ticks. Toss the tick-free clothes in the laundry and take a shower. If you found a tick on your clothes put clothing items in a hot dryer for 10 minutes, that will kill the insect. The California Department of Public Health recommends you continue to check your body for any sign of ticks for three days after being outside in areas where ticks reside.
CBS News
4 hours ago
- CBS News
Mayo Clinic refused employee's COVID-19 vaccine exemption request, lawsuit says
A lawsuit filed by the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on Thursday alleges the Mayo Clinic violated federal law when it refused a security guard's request to be exempt from getting the COVID-19 vaccine due to his religious beliefs. Mayo implemented a mandatory COVID-19 vaccination policy around Oct. 13, 2021, which required all of its employees to receive the vaccine by Dec. 3, 2021, unless they received a medical or religious exemption, according to the court document. Anyone who didn't follow the policy would be terminated. On Nov. 1, 2021, the security guard, who was not named in the lawsuit, submitted an accommodation form to the clinic requesting that he be exempt from the policy, stating "his religious observance or practice conflicted with the COVID-19 vaccine," the complaint said. According to the lawsuit, the form stated he is a member of an Assemblies of God Church, which believes the vaccine contained ingredients that "were inconsistent with his religious belief," and he could not "put those ingredients in his body." The employee also believed that if he were to die from the vaccine, it would be considered suicide and undermine God's faith. The security guard said he would be willing to wear a mask and take COVID-19 tests if he were granted an exemption to the policy. On Nov. 21, 2021, Mayo denied the request, stating the employee didn't meet the criteria for a religious exemption, the lawsuit said. The security guard submitted a reconsideration request the next day. Mayo denied the reconsideration request on Dec. 1 and said he must get the vaccine or else he would be fired. The clinic issued a final written warning to the security guard on Dec. 3, saying he would be terminated if he did not receive the vaccine by January 2022. The EEOC alleges Mayo violated Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, which prohibits companies from discriminating against employees based on religion. The federal agency is seeking monetary damages, though it's unclear how much. According to the lawsuit, the EEOC is also asking Mayo to implement policies and programs that "provide equal employment opportunities for religious persons." A spokesperson for Mayo Clinic said the company would not comment "due to pending litigation."
Fox News
6 hours ago
- Fox News
Popular weight-loss medication could relieve painful arthritis symptoms, doctors report
The positive effects of GLP-1 medications extend beyond just diabetes control and weight loss. GLP-1s, also known as GLP-1 agonists, are a type of drug that mimics a natural hormone called glucagon-like peptide-1 that helps to regulate blood sugar levels. Experts claim that these medications — which include semaglutide (such as Ozempic and Wegovy) or tirzepatide (Mounjaro and Zepbound) — can also help with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA, a chronic autoimmune disease that occurs when the immune system attacks its own tissues, causes inflammation, pain and stiffness in the joints, according to Mayo Clinic. GLP-1 medications have been found to help relieve painful arthritis symptoms, potentially through weight loss. Various studies have shown an association between being overweight or obese and the risk of developing RA. A 2020 study published in the journal Nature specified that having a higher body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference was linked to a greater prevalence of the condition. Sue Decotiis, M.D., a medical weight-loss doctor in New York City, said that in her own practice, she's witnessed patients experience "tremendous relief" for inflammatory arthritis disease after taking GLP-1s. "This is not just rheumatoid arthritis, but also mixed connective tissue disease," she said in an interview with Fox News Digital. "Most patients were actually able to stop their arthritis medications." While much remains to be learned about these alternate uses for GLP-1s and how they function, Decotiis noted that fat cells produce certain substances, like cytokines or adipokines, that can increase inflammation throughout the body and impact how the immune system functions. "Cytokines produced in excess can harm the body," she said. "With COVID, some patients who died had experienced a cytokine storm, where the immune system overresponded to the infection." Decotiis clarified that it is not yet confirmed that the reported anti-arthritis effect of GLP-1s is associated with weight loss, although she said she's seen this benefit continue even on a low dose of the drug. The expert said she has also noticed a wide range of other positive effects associated with GLP-1 medications, including reduced alcohol intake and less reliance on ADD and anti-anxiety medications. The popular drugs have also been linked to a reduced risk of migraines, Alzheimer's disease and even some cancers. "Anyone considering using GLP-1s should be followed by a physician knowledgeable in their usage and weighed on a body composition scale," Decotiis recommended. "Someone who is not overweight would have to be followed very carefully. Therefore, accessing these drugs from an online platform without in-person physician care is not advisable."
