Cancerwise

Until he tried to donate stem cells for his late brother, Norman, Jerry Brouwer didn’t realize he carried a genetic mutation that made him more likely to develop leukemia.

But testing revealed he had DDX41 — the same mutation that had caused Norman’s illness. That meant Jerry couldn’t provide the stem cells needed to save his brother’s life. And, since Jerry was 63 at the time, it also meant he was at high risk for developing the disease himself.

“It was terrifying for all of us,” recalls Tiffany Brouwer, Jerry’s second wife. “DDX41 doesn’t really impact people until their mid-60s. But then, it’s notorious for causing all kinds of problems. Our shock was even greater because Jerry’s first wife, Wendy, had died of leukemia 20 years earlier.”

Third leukemia diagnosis in one family prompts search for best care

Since Jerry felt fine and his blood tests were still normal, his local doctor recommended taking a “watch and wait” approach. Jerry would get retested every six months, then start treatment once his cell counts dropped beneath a certain threshold.

That day finally came in late 2025, when Jerry’s red blood cell, white blood cell and platelet counts were all either at or just below the lowest normal range.

“Jerry has three grown children with his late wife,” says Tiffany. “By that point, they’d had both a parent and an uncle die of leukemia, and another parent who’d been diagnosed with it. So, we wanted to seek the best care available.”