Pro-Golfer Jim Plotkin, 56, Said Leukemia Diagnosis & Treatment Threw Him ‘Through a Loop Mentally’ — Now, He Doesn’t Sweat the Small Stuff

Plotkin has golfed for several years, with 2022 being exceptionally strong. That year, he won the NCGA Senior tournament. However, years earlier, in 2018, while qualifying for the California Senior Amateur Championship, the father of two started experiencing unusual symptoms.

 

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He noticed a bump on his neck when he went to the doctor. A CAT scan and blood tests helped discover Plotkin had swollen lymph nodes and a swollen spleen, leading to a cancer diagnosis.

“Being diagnosed with cancer is a day you’ll never forget,” Plotkin said.

“It consumed my thoughts, and while we started treatment soon after the discovery, it took me about a year to actually accept the diagnosis,” Plotkin added.

Plotkin was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

Amid his journey, the talented golfer says he’s focused on the positive, which helped his cancer journey.

“I focus on the positive aspects of my life — I’m healthy, I get to spend time with my family,” Plotkin said.

Understanding Plotkin’s Leukemia Diagnosis

Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) usually impacts older adults. It starts with white blood cells, or lymphocytes, in the bone marrow.

CLL is a slow-growing chronic cancer. Many people diagnosed with the disease won’t need treatment at diagnosis. Instead, patients are monitored, and their blood count is tracked to determine if treatment is needed.

WATCH: What causes leukemia?

“Chronic lymphocytic leukemia is a cancer of a white blood cell called a B lymphocyte,” Dr. Matthew Davids, director of the Center For Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia at the Dana Farber Cancer, explained to SurvivorNet in a previous chat.

“These are cells that are normally there to help you fight off infections, and for reasons that we don’t often understand, these cells can gradually accumulate over time and become a tumor that we call CLL,” Dr. Davids said.

Leukemia can be acute or chronic, depending on its aggressiveness. In acute leukemia, the cancer cells quickly multiply and typically require aggressive and prompt treatment.

Chronic leukemia replicates or accumulates more slowly and can function normally longer. Since it takes chronic leukemia longer to mature, it can go unnoticed or undiagnosed for years because there are no early symptoms.

Plotkin’s Path Toward Treatment

Plotkin says his first line of treatment left him with lots of side effects limiting his ability to play golf as he usually would. So, his doctor put him on a chemo-free treatment called  venetoclax (brand name: Venclexta).

The drug venetoclax is one of several new targeted treatments for chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Instead of attacking all rapidly dividing cells like chemotherapy does, it blocks a specific protein called BCL-2 in cancer cells that helps them stay alive.

Though this treatment can help you avoid chemotherapy, it does have its downsides. Most of the negatives are centered at the beginning of treatment. “The first two months are annoying. There’s no sugar coating it,” Dr. James Gerson, a hematologist at Penn Medicine, told SurvivorNet.

WATCH: CLL Venetoclax Treatment

Venclexta is generally a very safe medication, according to Dr. Gerson. The most common side effects include:

• Low white blood cell and red blood cell counts
• Diarrhea
• Fatigue
• Nausea
• Upper respiratory tract infections

If you can tolerate the side effects and the blood draws, you’ll benefit from a combination treatment that has been shown to be very effective against CLL. In a particular study, about half of the people who received Gazyva and Venclexta had a complete response, which means they no longer had any signs of cancer.

After receiving treatment, Plotkin was able to reach remission, where he’s remained for the last four years.

In addition to undergoing treatment, Plotkin credits golfing for helping him manage his mental health. He used it as a form of therapy during his cancer journey.

Managing Mental Health While Facing Cancer

For cancer patients, a diagnosis undoubtedly impacts their mental health. If you are diagnosed with cancer or other chronic disease, you should be mindful of caring for your mental health because it can affect your overall prognosis.

RELATED: Psychologist Dr. Samantha Board discusses managing mental health long-term

“For long-term mental health and living with cancer, flexibility is really at the core of how to manage long-term mental health,” New York-based psychologist Dr. Samantha Boardman explained.

WATCH: What is positive psychology and how can it help people facing cancer?

Dr. Boardman suggests asking yourself questions about how you deal with stressful situations to determine whether your strategies are working or need adjustment.

“Are your coping strategies in the way that you’re using them now? Are they as effective as they were in the past? Take a look at your beliefs. Do you have any fixed beliefs that are counterproductive and are impeding you from taking positive steps?” Dr. Boardman said.

To keep your mental health in check, it’s important to be aware of subtle signs that something may be affecting your mind.

These signs include:

• A change in eating or sleeping habits
• Losing interest in people or usual activities
• Experiencing little or no energy
• Numb and/or hopeless feelings
• Turning to drink or drugs more than usual
• Non-typical angry, upset, or on-edge feelings
• Yelling/fighting with loved ones
• Experiencing mood swings
• Intrusive thoughts
• Trouble getting through daily tasks

If you struggle in any of these areas, talk to your doctor or a mental health professional to begin your emotional journey alongside your other cancer treatment.

Learn more about SurvivorNet's rigorous medical review process.

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