Cycling Helped This 73-Year-Old Through a Rare Leukemia Diagnosis
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Name: Mikhail Rubin
Age: 73
Hometown: San Francisco, California
Occupation: Retired
Time Cycling 60+ years
Reason for Cycling: I cycle to stay in good health at 73. Cycling also helped me through leukemia.
I started cycling when I was a young child with my father. I would sit in front of him on the bicycle and ride with him until I was about 7 years old. Once I grew out of riding on the bike with my father, I got a bicycle of my own, and that was it—I would ride all the time.
I started biking more when I purchased a good mountain bike: a Gary Fisher in 1997. At that time of my life I was riding mostly with my son and daughter, who were 16 and 19—we all loved biking together. Now that they are grown, I continue to bike on my own near my home in the Bay Area.
Cycling has always been an important part of my life, but especially after I was diagnosed with chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML) in 2018. CMML is a rare and deadly form of leukemia. At that time, I was told the only cure for my cancer was a bone marrow transplant (or stem cell transplant). However, my physicians recommended waiting to start treatment due to the risk of toxicities that can come with a standard transplant, especially for someone my age.
After years of “watching and waiting,” my hematologist at Stanford saw my blood counts getting worse. By 2020, the disease had progressed enough where it was time to intervene to save my life.
I was referred to a bone marrow transplant specialist at Stanford, and we developed a plan to prepare me for the transplant. It would be a combination of chemotherapy and donor cells. However, at my age, a lower level of chemotherapy is the standard practice because the treatment and the transplant itself can be quite hard on the body. However, lower levels of chemotherapy come at the price of potentially lower success rates for curing the cancer. At the end of the day, I felt I could receive the full intensity regimen given I’d always been so athletic and felt strong.
My medical team was also concerned about the potential side effects that can come with a stem cell transplant—particularly graft versus host disease, or GVHD, which is when the body rejects the donor cells. GVHD can be debilitating and even life-threatening.
Fortunately, in 2021, I was offered a full-strength chemo treatment if I enrolled in a clinical trial evaluating an experimental cell therapy called Orca-T. This cell therapy uses healthy donor cells to replace the cancerous blood and immune system cells, with the goal of improving survival while reducing potential side effects like GVHD.
Because this trial could potentially lower the risk of toxicities, my doctors deemed it my best chance with the least likelihood of relapse.
My stem cell transplant was successful. I had the transplant in April 2021, and by August 21 of that same year, I was able to get back out and ride my bike. I returned to work in October, riding 12 miles round trip to work and back.
In the first year after my treatment, I estimate that I rode 3,000 miles! I’m grateful for the opportunity to receive this new cell therapy and return to the active lifestyle I enjoy so much.
Now that I’m retired, I also spend time walking and running, but I’ve noticed that as I’ve aged, biking is an activity that I can do without having the pain that other activities often cause.
Right now, I bike every other day. I’m very strict with my schedule. On the days I don’t bike, I walk, run, play tennis, or find another way to be active physically and mentally.
To me, one of the wonderful things about cycling is that you can see much more on the bicycle than when you walk, especially in a short time. Spending that time on the bike, and seeing so many different landscapes and locations gives me a different perspective.
The main concern I have is traffic around San Francisco, but cycling is one of my favorite ways to get exercise and explore my city.
These three tips have made my cycling journey a success:
1. Just ride
The type of bike you have actually doesn’t matter. It’s getting on and riding it that makes a difference for you and your health! I still ride my Gary Fisher from 1997. It is very light because of quality parts, especially Bontrager wheels. Nothing has happened to them in 26 years! The frame design is very good for climbing hills, too.
2. Remember that age is just a number
My main advice is just keep cycling because this sport is so great, even for those in advanced age like me (although I don’t feel that way!). It’s very gentle on your joints and muscles and when I’m on my bike I don’t have aches and pains.
3. Encourage others
I also like to interact with people around me. I’ll sometimes hear people call out when I’m riding: “You are the beast!” or “Ride on!” or “Gary Fisher is a great bike!” These interactions encourage me, and I enjoy encouraging others too.
Mikhail’s Must-Have Gear
→ Giro Agilis MIPS Helmet: It is very light and also very visible. I prefer the bright yellow for added visibility and safety.
→ Gore Wear Long Sleeve Thermo Jersey: This is good for San Francisco weather—it’s almost a year-round staple.
→ Pearl Izumi Quest Barrier Convertible Cycling Jacket: It is so universal that l I use it as an everyday jacket. It has lots of zipped pockets for perfect storage of snacks and supplies.
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