Pilates Instructor Beats Aggressive Lymphoma with Personalized CAR-T Therapy

In January 2024, Pilates teacher Debi Weiss experienced worsening weakness and shortness of breath, eventually receiving a diagnosis of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma after blood work and a biopsy. Chemotherapy initially reduced the tumor, but a month after completing the regimen the lymphoma reappeared in her brain, giving her a bleak prognosis. Physicians at Atlantic Health Morristown Medical Center opted for a personalized CAR-T immunotherapy, a process that extracts and genetically modifies her T-cells to attack cancer cells.

The infusion took place in January 2025, and Weiss reported feeling like "Pac-Man" as the engineered cells circulated. She experienced no serious side effects, regained strength, and was able to walk her dog again shortly after discharge. Ongoing monitoring by Dr. Charles Farber and Dr. Mohamad Cherry shows she is in complete remission, with regular scans planned every few months. Weiss now works part-time, participates in art-therapy groups, and looks forward to traveling with her husband.