Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net)

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

Welcome to Marrowmasters Season 20, sponsored by Sanofi and Insight. This season focuses on survivorship after a bone marrow, stem cell, or CAR-T transplant and what that entails. We'll be talking with a variety of speakers this season who will share their experiences, advice, coping mechanisms, updates, and tips to enjoy life to the fullest, even if life looks a little different. The National Bone Marrow Transplant Link, established in 1992, strives to help patients, caregivers, and families

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

cope with the psychosocial challenges of transplant from diagnosis through survivorship. Here's your host, Executive Director of the NBMT Link, Peggy Burkhardt. Well, hello, everyone. So today we welcome Adam Claxton. Adam is a survivor of AML who was diagnosed in 2024 and transplanted in December of 2024.

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

He's going to share his experiences. So I have to tell you, when I met Adam, one of the really neat things about him is how he wants to truly help others in everything he does, especially as it pertains to finding your new identity in early survivorship. I also want to brag for a second, Adam, a dad, also wrote a book called Daddy's Magic Blood, again, to help others explain this to young children. And we will share that in the show notes.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

Welcome, Adam, and thank you so much for being with us today. We have so much to talk about. Hi, Peggy. Thank you so much for having me. It's great to be here. And if I can do something that's going to make a difference to what people are going through and experiencing, then...

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

That's me being fulfilled. Well, I know you will. So Adam, let's talk about your early survivorship so that we can help others better understand what life looks like beyond treatment. Let's talk about the gap after treatment. Yeah, so the gap after treatment was something that they don't prepare you for. They don't really tell you about. It's something you kind of stumble across.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

in your own recovery. And the one thing that stuck out most was the gap between where you're not a patient anymore, but where are you and who are you back in the world as before cancer? Where do you stand? Where do you fit? And for me, it was around 100 days after transplant. If you're in hospital, you're having regular checks.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

There's lots going on all the time. You have a hundred day sort of celebration, a bone marrow biopsy, all is good. And you just feel like you're dropped out of the sort of system, I guess. And I'm in the UK, so this is my experience with how it works over here. And you're working out like, who am I? What am I? What am I here for? The world that I knew before.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

has changed, it's evolved. But whilst you're going through that cancer battle, your journey, your experience, the world still goes on and your life takes a massive sort of, goes off the beaten track for a while. So you're kind of looking to see where you fit in again. It's really hard. And I think...

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

For me being like a mindset coach and doing what I do for a living anyway, I had that awareness to work out what it might be and how to get myself back onto some sort of path. But I guess for others, it's just another part of the journey where it's like, whoa, what the hell is this? I was not expecting this. No one prepares you for this.

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

Wow. The survivorship can be harder than the treatment, correct? Absolutely.

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

So Adam, I know you're in the UK and love your accent, and we're so thrilled to have you. I'm guessing it's very similar in the United States as well, and really globally, this feeling after transplant. So I wanted to ask you about your experiences and thoughts with graft-versus-host disease. When we first spoke, you called GVHD the price I pay for leukemic protection.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

I have thought about that so many times. What an uplifting reference. Can you tell us more about that? Yeah, so graft versus host disease is something that we all hear about. Some will show very soon after transplant. Some don't or won't, or it can come on whenever. And again, it's something where...

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

Clinicians and consultants, they like to see it because it shows that there's evidence of the donor cells working. And the first part for me, because I had my transplant, I didn't have any graft versus host. And they're okay because my bloods were good.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

Everything else was going in the right direction. But after the relapse and then DLI, that's when I started experiencing graph versus host. And I'll never forget going to clinic with, you can't really see it, but sort of the markings on my face and my body. And my consultant celebrated because he was like, I'm so happy.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

to see graph versus host on you because it's a visual of the cells working. And like you said, from a mental health perspective, from a confidence perspective, it's a bit weird to look at. And I mean, I'm lucky I've got chronic graph versus host and I'm lucky that I'm not in pain with it.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

It irritates me sometimes. My skin is a little bit different to what it used to be. And yeah, the whole price you pay for leukemic protection, when you apply that to that's what my graft versus host is, it kind of takes the sadness away. I'm actually, I'm grateful that I have graft versus host because it shows that the chimerism is taking effect.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

The cells are doing what they should be. My body is more protected with my brother's cells running through me. So again, my brother was my donor.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

And yeah, I think there's perspectives and how we see things differently or how I see things differently really helps me get through situations which others may find a bit tougher. And I know I'm lucky that mine was only mild, but it could be worse and my other organs are okay because I know that it can get really excited and cause havoc to other organs in our bodies. So yeah, graph versus host.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

Is it bad? No. Can it be bad? Yes, it can be bad. But I think it's ultimately the sacrifice that we pay for what we've been through. Another consultant said it's like a battle scar. And it's like, yeah, I've got this stuff and I've been through some stuff. What a great attitude to have about it. I really appreciate that.

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

So, Adam, you know, this lends itself so nicely to the next point. You are just extraordinary. And you look great, by the way. Thank you. Your career has involved helping others as a mindset coach in the corporate setting and now in the cancer world. And we all know that so much of this experience involves a strong mental attitude that you're showing us you have. Tell us more how you manage this important element of it all.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

For me, mindset is so important. And unfortunately, it's something that we can't force someone to make a change. Mindset for me is something I study every day through podcasts, through reading, through always sort of upgrading my awareness and my knowledge on how we think. Because essentially how we think and our thoughts.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

that controls how we feel, how we behave, how we act, and then ultimately for results that we get. So it's always an upgrading system that we go through. And the difference with people and tech is if you woke up in the morning and your phone had an update that was due, you wouldn't think twice about updating because you know that

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

It needs it. It upgrades, you get better. Your phone will get better. Your device will have better tech on it. It will be faster and quicker. But us as humans, we tend to not want to do that. I like staying in 1996 because what I knew then was good. But we've always got to improve ourselves every day because as the world changes and evolves, so do we. And what you don't want to do is be left behind.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

So doing something physical, mental, spiritual, emotional daily has really helped me through my treatment. And I guess, again, I'm just lucky that I had that awareness before because some people, I've seen it in hospital myself, where they start to make changes almost when it's too late. And you're kind of sitting there going, you should have been doing this for a very long time before.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

You can't just change the way that you think overnight. It's a process. It's like learning to ride a bike. You don't just grasp it. You have to try. Then you'll be tested. Then you try again and again and again and again. So it's always a big work in progress. And we see it in the world now where we talk about mental health and what's good for us. And some people will go to the gym and they'll feel physically good. But actually, if you're not aware of like, why am I thinking like this? You will never.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

reach for sort of

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

aspirations in life that you're chasing so it is really important to look at your mindset to invest some time and you don't have to spend much there's so much around that you can have access to but start there because when you start changing

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

The way that you think and feel, you'll notice that the things that you think and feel about will also change. And become habits, good habits. Yeah. Let's talk about relapse for a minute. How have you handled the mental part of that? The relapse was really personal. I think the initial diagnosis came as a shock and I didn't really know much about AMR, leukemia.

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

just that this was the path that I was going to go along. You go through intense treatment, time away from the family. It's hard and you have a lot to change and think about all in a very quick sort of succession of time. It's important to go through the treatment, but it's also scary because your whole world just gets turned upside down in a flash.

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

And going through transplant, yeah, it was brutal. The chemo was really harsh, really intense for recovery. You get through the 100 days, starting to get back into work and accepting this new version of me. Then all of a sudden, your world is just pulled apart again. And that was probably the...

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

The bigger battle then was relapse. Now what does it look like? What is my treatment plan? What options have I got? What is my chance of getting through this? But again, applying that attitude, the mindset, the habits of being back in hospital and finding that routine again, it's something that you don't always want to do.

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

Again, when you connect it to a why, so why am I going through this? And not what am I fighting for? I don't like the whole fighting and battle. But what reasons do I need to hold on to the most? And that's where you look at your goal. Like, what do I want in life? I was like, I've not helped enough people yet. The world hasn't heard my voice. Those are the changes. And then you've got like your family and your children and my wife.

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

All of those extra reasons. Yeah, good reasons. Yeah, they make the bad days better when you've got something to hold on to. And again, I've seen in hospital and experienced people that have gone, I'm done. I've got grandchildren, I've seen the world, and they're more accepting of how things will then go. I've seen some things happen that you don't really want to.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

But you know that that's their journey and this is my journey and there's a reason why I'm still here. Absolutely. You take all of that sort of with you and you go, okay, something's looking after me. Wow. We're hearing your voice for sure and we're thrilled to have you here with us today.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

Adam, let's talk about faith over fear. What have you learned and what insights can you share that will, I know, resonate with others going through this? For me, we actually used faith over fear quite a lot during this whole experience that we've been through. And ultimately, I think it's down to choice. Do you stay scared and live in fear?

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

Or do you step into the unknown and choose faith and that belief system of going, I am going to be okay? I mean, we all have days in our normal lives where you might have a situation that you might not want to do.

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

You can be afraid of doing it and it will impact how you're thinking, how you're feeling, or you can have faith that everything's going to be okay and you're still going to get through that same day regardless of what path you're going to go down to. So sometimes why would you not choose to have the faith knowing that, say, for example, you will get to the end of Wednesday or be afraid of getting to the end of Wednesday but still getting to the end of Wednesday?

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

So faith over fear is if you stay where you are, nothing's going to change. And if you do take that jump, the leap of faith, and just trust that something greater is going to look after you, then surely it's worth that risk. And just having that belief that I'm going to be okay. And it was something, again,

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

that was applied very early. Like my first consultant put his hand on my wife and said, he's going to be okay. And it stuck. And we just went, going to be okay. There's a saying that tough times don't last, but tough people do. And day by day, step by step, sometimes minute by minute, hour by hour, you have a challenge that you have to get through and you get through it and you go, okay, I'm done. I'm clear through that situation.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

Now we go again. So inspirational. So Adam, the shift in identity post-transplant, you call it a reset. And this comes up again and again as a continuous issue for recently transplanted individuals. Tell us more about the reset. So the reset for me was what I noticed again around that sort of hundred days where...

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

You step back into the world and I was like, right, I'm going to get business back moving forward again. And the first thing I did was sort of reached out to people that I'd been in touch with before all of this had happened, companies that I was doing work for.

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

And I either had no response or actually what I needed to help them with. They no longer needed help with. So the reset came from there where it was like, first of all, you feel this sort of, I'm not wanted, I'm not needed, which isn't true. It's who are you now? It was more about who are you going to become from this situation?

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

So I had to go and reassess. So my sort of niche before with my business had changed because I changed. It wasn't about the niche changing. It was about my life, my passion, the things that I want to help people with has changed because of what I've just been through. Sure. But first of all, you had to identify all of those. So for reset, I don't know, like stem cell transplants, you say that you're born again.

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

Things are different. So it's like if I'm born again, then I've got an opportunity now to do things over completely different to how I did before. And if you're going back to a job that you didn't like to do, why are you doing that? So it was time to change and use those experiences to help move forward.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

You know, you make me think of a story. There's a woman I know who unfortunately lost her daughter, and she was a hygienist before her daughter had passed. And afterwards, she quit. We got to know her, and she started a foundation in her daughter's name. This was years ago. And she said, I can't listen to people complain when I clean their teeth.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

about their everyday mundane problems. After everything I've been through, I need a reset and I need to make a difference in the name of donor families, how their daughter became a donor. So I so know what you mean in that I was a lot younger when I worked in that job and heard that story, but it always stayed with me that she needed a reset to really get through the rest of her life. Yeah, it makes so much sense. Your purpose,

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

completely changes even for partners or parents of the patient me and my wife we literally had the same sort of conversation this morning talking about her work and she's gone back to work but it doesn't feel like it used to because we've just gone through this massive life altering disease where things have changed massively we've

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

what she does isn't setting her soul on fire anymore. And I think that's something that's really important with everybody is we have to do what sets our soul on fire. You have to find that reason of like, why have we just been through this? What good can, because good things do come from these situations. It's learning about how you're going to align yourself with what's next.

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S… Speaker 2 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

Because things do massively change. And I completely get the lady you mentioned, how she was bored of hearing people complaining about things. Because what she's just been through, she's like, really? This isn't fulfilling anymore. Yes. Whereas before the experience that she went through, she was okay with that. And I think for all of us, everybody involved in a cancer journey.

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S… Speaker 1 (Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net))

will have a massive part of their life will change. There's no denying it. And it's how you move on from that. Absolutely, Adam. Let's get practical. So day to day, you've got kids, you've got a wife, you're working. Any practical...

Adam Claxton Full Show (mp3cut.net)

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