Immunotherapy helped my body fight bladder cancer
Stage IV bladder cancer caregiver: Why I¡¯ll support MD Anderson until the day I die
October 28, 2025
Medically Reviewed | Last reviewed by and on October 28, 2025
When my late husband, Ronnie, was diagnosed with stage IV bladder cancer in 2015, we both knew that our days together were numbered. The disease was not only in his bladder¡¯s muscle wall, but also in the fatty tissue around it and multiple bones. So, his prognosis was pretty grim. Ronnie had maybe three to six months left to live.
We desperately hoped to have more time. So, we turned to MD Anderson. I¡¯ll be forever grateful that we did. Because an immunotherapy clinical trial there suggested by genitourinary cancer specialist gave us 10 extra years together.
How we filled our ¡®bonus¡¯ years
Ronnie and I don¡¯t have any children. But we both enjoyed traveling very much. Having a particular type of travel trailer was his lifelong dream. So, after the first few scans revealed the extent of his disease, Ronnie said, ¡°Do you think maybe I could get one?¡± Of course, I said, ¡°Yes.¡±
These last 10 years traveling together have been the highlight of my life. We took so many marvelous trips. We went all the way up to Prince Edward Island and Nova Scotia one time, to a good friend¡¯s ranch in Montana another, and to an International Airstream Rally in Rock Spring, Wyoming, too.
Everywhere we went, we bought stickers to commemorate our travels. We attached them to a plexiglass kickplate on our trailer¡¯s door. After Ronnie passed in May, I decided to sell the trailer. But I took that kickplate to a local craft store first to have the stickers removed and framed so I could remember all our happy travels together. I never want to forget them.
A debt of gratitude
Ronnie felt very strongly that we owed MD Anderson a debt of gratitude we could never repay. I agreed. How do you repay someone for 10 extra years of life? And, I mean high-quality living, too, not just existing. We packed those 10 years with a lot of love and memories.
Answer: There really is no way. So, when MD Anderson asked us to help launch?the James P. Allison Institute?in March 2022, we jumped at the chance to give back.
Meeting in person and being able to thank him for his work was a dream come true for Ronnie. Ipilimumab was one of the drugs that extended Ronnie¡¯s life. Dr. Allison developed it ¨C and was awarded the Nobel Prize for his immunotherapy research in 2018. So, it was a gift to both of us to be able to meet him and thank him in person.
What¡¯s amazing is that Dr. Allison felt he owed us! The day of the launch happened to fall on my birthday. To thank us for being there, instead of somewhere else, celebrating, Dr. Allison surprised me with a birthday card and a gift certificate to a fancy local restaurant. I still have that card today, along with the harmonica everyone got (in a nod to Dr. Allison¡¯s band, the Checkmates). I will always cherish them. After all, how many times do you get a birthday card from a Nobel Prize winner?
Related: Read Ron Speidel¡¯s story.
Brenda & Ron Speidel pose by their travel trailer, with the stickers they collected on the door
How I¡¯m giving back
Ronnie was a retired police officer, and I¡¯m a retired teacher. So, we weren¡¯t wealthy people. That meant we couldn¡¯t thank MD Anderson in the way we wanted to by making a large donation to support its research programs.
Still, it¡¯s very important to me to continue to show our appreciation. Because research is what extended my husband¡¯s life. And the way I see it, you have to focus on what was given, not what was taken away.
I could¡¯ve been a widow at age 60, in 2015. Instead, I¡¯m a widow at age 70, in 2025. Dr. Gao, Dr. Allison and MD Anderson gave us 10 extra years together. They gave us that. And, those 10 years were remarkable.
That¡¯s why I¡¯m sharing my story here on Cancerwise today. And, it¡¯s why I¡¯ll continue to promote MD Anderson until my dying day.
or call 1-877-632-6789.
Brenda and Ron Speidel in 2022
We owed a debt of gratitude we could never repay.
Brenda Speidel
Caregiver