The Dating Machine ‘Golden Bachelor’ Gerry Turner, 73, Can Not Be Stopped– Says He’s Feeling ‘Really Good’ & Hopeful While Living With Rare Type of Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Overview: Overview

Turner said on the April 15 podcast episode, titled “Gerry’s ‘Happy Hour’ Return!” that he’s feeling “great” as of now, explaining, “Until I have any symptoms, there’s no treatment. So, I go frequently for blood tests. I’m on a six-month schedule now.”

He continued, “I feel optimistic because the doctor has said, ‘Well when you turn 75, we’re going to have to go three-month increments.’

“So it’s telling me that at least he expects me to live another couple of years to get to that. But the bottom line is I feel really good.”

As for how he feels with regard to not undergoing treatment until he has symptoms, Turner said, “I mean this sincerely. From the time I got this diagnosis, it’s a privilege to live like you’re dying.

“I don’t turn down anything. I feel like I’m more open to emotions. I’m more open to experiences.”

He added, “The person I’m dating will say, ‘Do you want to go do …’ And before she even gets out the rest of the sentence, I will say yes. So I’m in on everything.

“And it makes life exciting because you kind of in the back of your head feel like you’ve got a lot of living to do and you don’t know how long you have to do it, so don’t turn down anything. And so, in a way, it’s really a good thing.”

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It’s important to understand that with some cancers, immediate treatment is essential. You don’t want to let a cancer that started at an early stage — especially an aggressive one — progress to a late stage where it’s more widespread and harder to stop. This is also the case with aggressive non-Hodgkin lymphomas, such as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.

However, indolent (slow-growing) non-Hodgkin lymphoma is different, like the type Turner is battling. Some people, when diagnosed, will learn that they don’t have to start treatment right away, like Turner. This approach is called “watchful waiting,” and it has its pros and cons.

Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma: Treat Right Away, Or Wait?

“Watchful waiting is a wonderful and a terrible thing all at the same time,” Dr. Caitlin Costello, hematologist-oncologist at UC San Diego Health, tells SurvivorNet. “It’s wonderful to not need treatment, but oftentimes terribly agonizing to just feel like you’re sitting there waiting for someone to tell you that you need treatment.”

Research shows that, in indolent lymphomas, waiting to start treatment until a patient meets certain criteria for treatment does not compromise long-term survival outcomes compared to treating right away.  In fact, some people can safely wait for several years before starting on treatment. Others will never need treatment.

Watchful waiting may be appropriate for people with indolent cancers such as follicular lymphoma or marginal zone lymphoma, Dr. Costello says. Indolent means the cancer is growing slowly, so it’s not likely to spread while you wait. Another reason to wait is if your cancer isn’t causing you any symptoms. It’s important when considering whether to wait that your lymph nodes aren’t growing quickly, and that none of your major organs — such as your heart or lungs — is being affected by your cancer.

Even with a slow growing cancer, your doctor will do a risk-benefit assessment to find out if the advantages of starting treatment outweigh the risk of side effects from that treatment. For some people, the answer is clearly yes, because they would benefit from treatment. “Whereas for other patients, we’d say it’s really not worth it at this point. The risk of the treatment isn’t worth the potential small benefit for you,” Dr. Costello adds.

Waiting has a few definite advantages. For one thing, you’ll avoid treatment side effects. Also, your cancer won’t have a chance to become resistant and stop responding to treatment.

Additionally, watchful waiting doesn’t mean that your doctor will do nothing. As the word “watchful” in the phrase implies, your doctor will carefully monitor you on a regular basis, and will start you on treatment as soon as you need it.

You’ll have periodic check-ups to go over your symptoms. During those visits, your doctor will likely do physical exams and give you blood tests. Sometimes you may need imaging scans such as x-rays and computed tomography (CT) to see if your cancer has progressed. In between visits, it’s important to let your doctor know if you have any new symptoms.

Understanding Turner’s Cancer Diagnosis: Waldenström’s Macroglobulinemia

Back in 2021, following a shoulder injury he ignored but eventually got checked, Gerry Turner was diagnosed with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia (WM), “an uncommon blood cell cancer that develops from malignant B-cells,” according to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute,

“It is a slow-growing type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Waldenström’s mostly forms in the bone marrow and can slow normal blood cell growth, which can lead to anemia and a weakened immune system,” the institute explains.

“The disease occurs because of an abnormality in B lymphocytes in the bone marrow, causing them to produce too much immunoglobulin protein (IgM) that thickens the blood. Although WM shares similarities with multiple myeloma and indolent lymphoma, it is a form of lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma, a low-grade (or indolent) type of lymphoma.”

Speaking to People in an interview last year, he explained what led to his diagnosis, saying, “Finally I got around to going [to the doctor] and the orthopedic surgeon said, ‘Yeah Gerry, there’s not much we can do for your shoulder, but there are some unusual blood markers here.’

“And so an orthopedic surgeon went to my family doctor, my family doctor referred me to an oncologist, and now I’m working with a hematology-oncology group in Fort Wayne.”

He continued, “Unfortunately, there’s no cure for it. So that weighs heavily in every decision I make. It was like 10 tons of concrete were just dropped on me. And I was a bit in denial for a while, I didn’t want to admit to it.”

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Additionally testing, as well as a bone marrow biopsy, weeks later confirmed his diagnosis even more. However, he’s maintained an optimistic outlook and insisted to People, “I’m going to pack as much fun as I possibly can into my life and enjoy every moment. And when I’m gone, I’m gone, but I’m not going to have regrets.”

It’s important to note that not all patients diagnosed with WM need treatment as an active surveillance approach may also suffice, which Gerry Turner is said to be doing.

“While WM is incurable and will return despite treatment, many people are able to lead active lives and may experience years of symptom-free remission after treatment,” the institute adds.

Men are almost twice as likely to get WM as women, and the change of getting diagnosed with this disease increases with age

Genetics also seems to play a role in patients with WM. The Dana-Farber Cancer Institute says that up to 20 percent of people living with WM “have a first- or second-degree relative with WM or another lymphoma, multiple myeloma, or chronic lymphocytic leukemia.”

Understanding Lymphoma

Gerry Turner was diagnosed with Waldenström’s macroglobulinemia, a type of non-Hodgkin lymphoma, which is one of the two most common types of lymphoma.

Lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system that affects infection-fighting cells called lymphocytes. And there are more than 40 different types of lymphoma.

Sneaky Lymphoma Symptoms Often Lead to a Late Diagnosis

“Lymphoma is split up into a number of different categories,” Dr. Elise Chong, a medical oncologist at Penn Medicine, previously told SurvivorNet.

“The first distinguishing breakpoint, if you will, is non-Hodgkin lymphoma versus Hodgkin lymphoma,” she added, “and those sound like two different categories. But non-Hodgkin lymphoma comprises the majority of lymphoma, and Hodgkin lymphoma is a single specific type of lymphoma.”

Hodgkin lymphoma has distinctive, giant cells called Reed-Sternberg cells. The presence of these cells, which can be seen under a microscope, will help your doctor determine which of the two lymphoma types you have.

There are a few other important differences between non-Hodgkin lymphoma and Hodgkin lymphoma to note. For one thing, non-Hodgkin lymphoma is much more common. And you’re more likely to be diagnosed with it after age 55.

Age, Race, and Exposures Might All Factor Into Lymphoma Risk

It should be noted that another difference between these two types of lymphoma is that non-Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to spread in a random fashion and be found in different groups of lymph nodes in the body, while Hodgkin lymphoma is more likely to grow in a uniform way from one group of lymph nodes directly to another.

These two different types of lymphoma behave, spread and respond to treatment differently, so it’s important for you to know which type you have.

Focusing on the Positive on Your Cancer Journey

Dr. Dana Chase, a gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Health, says that maintaining good emotional health and quality of life is associated with better survival and patient outcomes. She encourages cancer patients to prioritize their emotional health for this reason.

WATCH: The benefits of finding time for joy amid health struggles.

“So definitely working on your emotional health, your physical well-being, your social environment, your emotional well-being, definitely working on those things and making them better are important and can impact your survival,” Dr. Chase told SurvivorNet.

Dr. Chase suggests tapping into your support network, including loved ones like friends and family. It can also be a patient advocate or a support group — in-person or virtual — that shares your cancer or disease.

How Battling Cancer Can Change Your Mindset

Many cancer patients who bravely shared their stories with SurvivorNet often talk about how their outlook on life shifts amid their cancer journeys. The shift in mindset often includes a sense of gratitude for cancer patients.

WATCH: Finding gratitude and its impact on your well-being.

Gratitude means being thankful for what you have and showing appreciation for it. It’s a mindset that helps people going through tough times, and the experts SurvivorNet spoke with encourage cancer warriors and their loved ones to practice gratitude.

Dr. Zuri Murrell, a colorectal cancer surgeon at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, told SurvivorNet that his patients who live with gratitude tend to handle treatment better because this attitude is one way to stay mentally healthy.

“The patients who do well with cancer, they live life with that kind of gratitude, but in terms of everything,” he explained. “They’re grateful, not for cancer, but they’re grateful for an opportunity to know that life is finite.”

According to the National Alliance on Mental Illness, several studies have indicated that learning to live with gratitude can lead to more happiness and less stress.

One way to exercise gratitude is to take time to think about things you appreciate every day. One way to exercise gratitude in your life includes writing down those things in a journal.

Questions to Ask Your Doctor

If you are in the middle of a cancer journey and are looking to improve your emotional health, consider what you’re grateful for. To begin, ask yourself the following questions to kickstart your journey to achieve gratitude.

• What can I do if I’m struggling to be thankful for what I have in my life?
• Are there local resources for people wishing to improve their mental health?
• What else can I do to help reduce my stress level during my cancer journey?

Contributing: SurvivorNet Staff

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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