Real People, Real Inspiration: Joe’s Story

On weekends? You’ll find him walking 18 holes with his golf buddies. Simmering a pot of traditional Italian Sunday gravy from his grandma’s secret recipe. Or catching live music with his daughter.

When Joe was diagnosed with a rare blood cancer called chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) in 2008, everything shifted.

“You hear the big C-word and you really think really the worst,” he says.

Joe was only 45 years old. His kids were young. And he was worried he wouldn’t be around long enough to see them through their elementary school years.

The next decade was filled with fear — and lots of bloodwork. Joe remained asymptomatic, but his levels were increasing. When his CLL progressed to stage two, his oncologist started treatment.

“Knowing that there's companies like AbbVie out there that care about patients makes me feel comfortable,” Joe says. “And they make me feel that it's okay to live with this condition.

What does define him is everything he’s been able to hold onto — and keep building.

“I want people to see me as a person, not just a patient,” Joe says.

His diagnosis is still part of his story — but it’s no longer the part he’s most focused on.

“I’m a certain age now that I could retire... but I don’t think I will,” he says. “I’m focused on being a father, a grandfather, a tenured worker.