When Bill Clark of Avondale Estates, then 65 years old, thinks back to the spring of 2020, he remembers a life that felt full and steady. He was in excellent health, leading a thriving architectural and engineering firm and enjoying time with family and friends in Atlanta. Then, just as the world was adjusting to the challenges of COVID-19, Bill’s life changed dramatically. What started as concerning inflammation near his left eye quickly led to a diagnosis that would define the next five years — conjunctival melanoma, a rare and aggressive cancer.
Bill recalled, “The diagnosis was shocking. I knew melanoma was serious. I had friends who had it and didn’t survive it.”
Even as the wider health care system faced new and unforeseen challenges due to the pandemic, Bill was able to undergo surgery to remove his left eye. He recovered well and adapted to his new normal with resilience and, for a time, no further treatment was recommended. Life resumed its regular pace.
But in early 2021, the cancer returned and brought with it more uncertainty. A new tumor appeared in the same area. This time, the path ahead was less clear.
“I tried everything that was offered — immunotherapy, radiation — but nothing worked,” Bill explained.
As each standard therapy failed to bring the results he hoped for, Bill continued to seek answers. He explored multiple avenues across different health care settings, pursuing advanced clinical trials and treatments wherever opportunities arose. While the care he received was skilled and thorough, none of the options produced the outcome he was looking for and the journey was physically and emotionally taxing.
“Every time something didn’t work, it was a blow,” Bill said. “But I never stopped looking for what might come next.”
By spring of 2024, after yet another round of immunotherapy and emergency surgery for an intestinal blockage caused by the cancer’s spread, Bill’s situation felt desperate. That was when he learned about a new and promising relapsed/refractory malignant melanoma treatment available at Northside Hospital Cancer Institute’s Cellular Therapy Program, led by Dr. Melhem Solh of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Group of Georgia (BMTGA) — tumor-infiltrating lymphocyte (TIL) therapy.
“TIL was a ‘Hail Mary’ for me,” Bill described. “It made sense — taking my own melanoma tumor cells, growing them in a lab and sending them back in to fight the cancer. For the first time in a long time, I felt like I understood what was happening in my body.”
He was accepted into Northside’s TIL program in Summer 2024 — one of only a few health care centers in the country offering this therapy. The process was intense and long, involving undergoing a robotic small bowel surgery to harvest a melanoma metastatic tumor by Dr. Eddie Abdalla, medical director of Northside’s Liver and Pancreas Program and a physician at Atlanta Liver & Pancreas Surgical Specialists, followed by a week of chemotherapy, and finally a TIL-cell infusion and interleukin-2 therapy with daily follow-up appointments through December 2024. There were setbacks, including a drop in blood pressure that required a brief stay in the ICU, but Bill never felt unprepared or unsupported.
“The Northside care team was incredible,” Bill stated. “Everyone — from my program nurse coordinator, Debby Leavenworth, who kept everything so well organized, to the inpatient unit and the BMTGA outpatient clinic nurses who anticipated every challenge — made me feel like I was in the best possible hands.”
Bill’s wife, Barbara, was his main caregiver and his family and friends played a critical role in his recovery. They rearranged schedules, rallied around him during the long days in the clinic, and celebrated milestones — even making sure Christmas 2024 was celebrated “post-COVID” style – masked in a big circle outside in the backyard since Bill’s immune system was severely compromised.
“I wanted to do everything I could to survive,” Bill said. “My family was right there with me, every step of the way.”
The emotional journey was filled with highs and lows. After exhausting so many options and facing the spread of his cancer, Bill admitted he saw the beginning of the end last summer. But TIL therapy, and the people at Northside Hospital Cancer Institute, gave him a reason to hope again.
“I feel better now, physically and mentally, than I have in the last four years,” Bill said. “While I have some permanent side effects from prior treatments, with a few pills each day, I can live normally. While nobody can predict my cancer journey, my body is showing a response to TIL therapy, and I am near remission. I’m back to walking three miles a day and golfing when I can. My outlook on life has changed — I make it a point to reconnect with friends, spend time with my family and not take a single day for granted.”
Bill’s journey is a testament to the importance of access — to advanced medicine, to supportive care and to hope. Northside gave Bill the chance to undergo a therapy that not only extended his life but also restored his quality of life. His advice to others? Advocate for yourself, trust your care team and hold on to hope.
“You have to be your own advocate,” Bill reflected. “If you feel like you’re just a number, speak up. There are more options out there and Northside is proof of that.”
Today, Bill is celebrating new milestones and looking ahead with optimism.
“My goal was to make it to 70,” Bill added. “Now, I am 70 and I’m setting new goals — and living life to the fullest.”
Learn more about TIL therapy at Northside Hospital Cancer Institute.
*The health story shared here is for informational purposes only and is not medical advice. Patients should consult with their own physician before making medical decisions.
