"It's back."

Rick, 62, says those two words are probably harder to hear than "you have cancer."

After getting chemotherapy for stage IV follicular lymphoma at Southwest Texas Regional Cancer Center (now Texas Oncology) in Austin, Texas, Rick thought he had beaten his cancer. But while on vacation and getting ready to go to a party he got the dreaded call from his oncologist.

More chemotherapy in Austin and at M.D. Anderson Cancer Center in Houston, Texas, following Rick's cancer recurrence wasn't as successful as everyone hoped and his doctors told him there was "one magic bullet left"-;a stem cell transplant.

A successful businessman, avid golfer and hunter from Austin, Texas, Rick is meticulous and pragmatic-;particularly when it comes to his cancer treatment. He met with the head of the stem cell transplant program in Houston and asked a ton of questions. "By this point, I'd become very studious. I had file folders full of information," Rick says.

One thing that bothered him, though, was hearing that he would have to rent an apartment 10 minutes from M.D. Anderson for 100 days. "That's what they require. Their primary mode is research and you have to fit into that," Rick says.

While exploring alternative bone marrow transplant treatment centers he discovered that his insurance company would only cover a stem cell transplant at a designated "Center of Excellence". Texas Transplant Institute at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio was one of the few Centers of Excellence in Texas and was the one closest to Austin.

There were a number of obvious advantages to getting the transplant in San Antonio: Rick had once lived and worked in San Antonio and considers it his second home. And the golfer in him was keen to rent an apartment in a nice, safe area close to the hospital and near a golf course so he could practice when he felt well enough.

Rick's mom; a lymphoma survivor, now 86 and doing well;could not drive the roadways to or within Houston but she could travel to San Antonio from her home in San Angelo and Rick knew she would want to help his wife, Cindy, with his care. Rick also knew that the role of caregiver is critically important and often more difficult than the role of patient so Cindy would appreciate her help.

Still weighing his options, Rick met with Dr. C. F. LeMaistre, a blood and marrow stem cell transplant physician with Texas Transplant Physician Group at Texas Transplant Institute.

Rick asked how many days he would have to lease an apartment in San Antonio and was surprised at Dr. LeMaistre's response. He told Rick he didn't know-;and that when he was well enough he'd let him go home.

"And that's when I knew-;this is the guy. This is the guy who's focused on me and not his research," Rick says. "I felt so comfortable with him. I understood what he said. I felt absolute comfort from Day 1."

Rick received a stem cell transplant at Texas Transplant Institute on November 8, 2007. His sister, Ann, was his donor.

And, true to his word, on Day 29 after his transplant, Dr. LeMaistre let Rick go back to Austin for an important charity golf tournament he had been deeply involved in. On Day 30 he played a few holes of golf with a friend. On Day 32, he rode around in the cart all day and helped raise thousands of dollars. "I think that's part and parcel of getting well. You feel good. You have hope. That's what you need," Rick says.

On Days 77 through 80, he went on a quail hunt with a bunch of friends. Dr. LeMaistre keeps a photo of Rick and his hunting buddies in his office.

Today, two years after his stem cell transplant, Rick is doing well...playing lots of golf, enjoying his three grandchildren-;all of whom were born after he was diagnosed with cancer-;and running his financial planning company. He has had a few setbacks and still has some symptoms of graft versus host disease, but considers them "a minor irritation".

Rick, who was able to receive all of his treatment as an outpatient, is grateful for the excellent attention and coordinated care he received from everyone at the transplant clinic-;especially the nurses.

"I never had any nausea at all. I had some mouth sores, but the nurses gave me something for it, I took it as directed and I had very little trouble. And I never threw up once," Rick says.

He has regular follow-up visits to the transplant clinic which he actually enjoys. "It takes about 30 minutes to get through all the hugs," Rick says.

Still, Rick is reflective about his recovery. "It's not a straight line to feeling better. You surge forward then take a step back," Rick says. "Life isn't perfect, but I'm certainly glad to be on this side of the divot."

AN UPDATE: Tuesday, November 9, 2010

Yesterday was my 3rd anniversary since SCT. I went to the clinic for hugs from the nurses and validation from my friend, Dr. Le Maistre.

Cindy and I went scuba diving last week in Cozumel with our son, the young lady we hope he marries and her mom and stepdad. We made 7 dives there. One was through "tunnels" in the reef that slowly descended to the far side where we broke out at about 110 feet and looked down the wall another 1,000 feet plus. We hovered there standing upright in the water with blackness below our feet and an 80 foot plus wall of coral and sea life towering above us. Awesome!

I was in a golf tournament this weekend. We played 63 holes in 3 days. And we are planning a 14 day trip to Ireland and Scotland with 7 other couples next May. We will play 3 to 4 rounds in each country, including a round at The Old in St. Andrews. This is a bucket list trip for several of us. (Excerpted from Rick's email)

Rick did make that trip to Ireland and Scotland and also was an extra in the film Seven Days in Utopia released in August, 2011.

For more on Rick's cancer treatment and stem cell transplant, read his excellent blog: Rick's Blog.

The Adult Blood and Marrow Stem Cell Transplant program of Texas Transplant Physician Group serves patients at Texas Transplant Institute on the campus of Methodist Hospital in San Antonio, Texas.