When he was 14 and a half years old, Omer was diagnosed with B-ALL leukemia and from that moment on he entered a world of difficult treatments, uncertainty, and daily fear.
Today, at the age of twenty, Omar talks about the turning point in his illness with the innovative biological treatment - a treatment that, he says, not only literally saved his life, but also the duration of the illness itself.
Initially, Omar underwent standard treatments, but these did not produce a satisfactory response and the disease was classified as high-risk. At this stage, it was decided to move forward with a bone marrow transplant, a complex procedure that requires arriving for the transplant with the body as free of cancer cells as possible.
Before the transplant, Omar was offered the opportunity to participate in a clinical trial in which an innovative biological drug was given to some patients through randomization. The doctor who treated him was unequivocal even then, Omar describes, "It doesn't matter if I get accepted into the study or not, he will fight for me to receive this innovative drug, because it will help me.""
Ultimately, Omar was included in the study and received two rounds of treatment. The result was clear and definitive. Tests showed absolutely zero cancer cells. A situation that allowed for a bone marrow transplant to prevent the disease from returning in the future.
For Omar, there are no question marks here. "This treatment saved my life," he says without hesitation. But beyond saving life itself, Omar emphasizes another and no less important aspect: quality of life during treatment. While the treatments currently accepted today harm all systems in the body, not just cancer, they harm sensation and the ability to live a basic life.
In contrast, the innovative biological treatment was a completely different experience. "The period of the innovative treatment was the most beautiful period of all my treatments," he says. "I would sit with friends, talk to them, sometimes even send my parents home. I felt like a person in the midst of an illness, and not a patient who was cut off from the world.".
In some countries around the world, patients receive a portable kit and can stay at home during the days of treatment. In Israel, Omar was also offered such an option in the second round. "The doctor told me he could get me a bag, and that I could go home, and I didn't want to," he recalls. "It sounds strange, but I felt so good that I didn't want to run away from the hospital.".
Omar's story reflects a clear trend in modern medicine: a gradual transition to biological and targeted treatments that attempt to fight the disease, without crushing the person along the way.
Today, Omar lives a full life, healthy, studying and working, and when he looks back, he talks not only about the recovery, but about the journey itself. "The treatment not only saved my life," he concludes, "but also the period when I was sick.""
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