Veteran in remission thanks to bloodless stem cell transplant

Marine Corps Veteran Keith Cody was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, a blood cancer, and just a few months later, he walked out of VA Tennessee Valley Healthcare System (TVHS) and caught a flight home to California after receiving a new bloodless autologous stem cell transplant.

"I already feel much better. They've told me I still need more time to get my energy back, but I do feel much better already," Cody said.

Understanding stem cell transplants

Stem cell transplants are used to treat leukemia, lymphoma, multiple myeloma and germ cell cancers. In an autologous transplant, a patient's own stem cells are collected from the bloodstream or the bone marrow. These cells are then infused back into the patient to replace diseased bone marrow.

Because of the chemotherapy that is used as part of a stem cell transplant, there is often a significant drop in blood counts, requiring blood or platelet transfusions. Cody, however, opted for a bloodless transplant, where treatments such as iron infusions are given before the transplant so that tranfusions are not needed later on.

One VA collaboration across the country

Cody's journey was a testament to VA's "One VA" approach. While living in California, he traveled to Tennessee to receive care at TVHS because of the unique procedure.

"For the bloodless autologous stem cell transplant, we don't give any red cell transfusions, platelet transfusions or plasma products. We use a set of interventions before patients come to Nashville to optimize their blood count, such as iron infusion," Dr. Bhagirathbhai Dholaria explained.

A model for the future

After opening its own stem cell processing lab, TVHS became the only VA facility with a comprehensive stem cell transplant program, housing apheresis, processing and infusion labs under one roof. Following the Seattle VA Medical Center, TVHS is just the second VA to launch a stem cell transplant program, but the first to successfully perform a bloodless procedure.

In April 2025, Cody received the treatment, with measurable success. "Number one, did it achieve myeloma control? That's the whole reason we do this procedure. In this case, Mr. Cody is in complete remission one month after stem cell transplantation," Dholaria said.

For Cody, the decision to travel across the country for care was made easier by the confidence and compassion of his VA team.

"After talking with Dr. Dholaria, the level of confidence they had in this procedure made it easier for me to decide to make the journey. The way they conveyed it to me, I felt confident in the care I was going to get," Cody shared.

Leading in advanced cancer therapies

TVHS is the only VA performing CAR T-cell therapy, an innovative immunotherapy that helps the immune system target and attack certain blood cancers. Veterans from across the country, including Puerto Rico, are referred to Nashville for this life-saving treatment.

"Stem cell transplants are a very important part of treating some blood cancers," said Stephen Cernawksy, TVHS nurse practitioner. "For some, it's curative and others, it extends life and gives more years to enjoy family."

Cody encourages other Veterans to explore VA's stem cell program. "The whole care team here… they're very caring people. Everybody we met treated us like family. It's sad to leave people behind who have been so special," he said.

TVHS plans to build on this success, expanding its ability to offer bloodless transplants to Veterans who choose to avoid transfusions, furthering VA's commitment to personalized, innovative cancer care.

"[With this success], we can now help more patients who-for personal reasons-don't want blood or platelet transfusions. That means a bigger population we can treat and help," Cernawksy said.

Watch Cody's full testimony.

This article was originally published on the Tennessee Valley Health care System site and has been edited for style and clarity.