From Despair to Hope: How a Clinical Trial Changed Ryan Goepel’s Future
Just weeks before his 50th birthday, Ryan Goepel was confronting a future he never imagined. The president of Global Crossing Airlines and father of three thought he was dealing with a painful gout flare-up when swelling in his knee sent him to the doctor in September 2024.
Then came the bloodwork.
Two days later, he received a call urging him to go to the emergency room immediately.
What followed was a whirlwind of tests and difficult conversations. Doctors determined Goepel had acute myeloid leukemia (AML), an aggressive form of blood cancer. Faced with a serious diagnosis and an uncertain prognosis, he and his family suddenly found themselves navigating decisions no one expects to make.
“It felt like my entire world stopped,” Goepel recalls.
As he processed the diagnosis, his girlfriend, now his wife, searched tirelessly for answers. A friend in the pharmaceutical industry encouraged her to seek a second opinion at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of UHealth—University of Miami Health System, with leukemia specialist Justin Watts, M.D., chief of the leukemia section in the Division of Hematology at Sylvester and professor of medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine.
That recommendation changed everything.
A new path forward
Goepel was transferred to Sylvester, where a bone marrow biopsy confirmed his diagnosis. Unlike the uncertainty that had consumed the previous days, Goepel found himself surrounded by a team focused on possibilities. Among those possibilities was a phase 1 clinical trial led by Dr. Watts. The study was investigating a treatment approach for patients with AML and had only a limited number of available spots.
Goepel was ultimately enrolled in the trial.
“When Ryan came to Sylvester, he and his family were facing an overwhelming diagnosis and a great deal of uncertainty,” says Dr. Watts. “Our goal was to identify the best possible treatment strategy for him, based on his unique genetic markers, and give him every opportunity to succeed. His response to therapy and his continued recovery reflect not only the potential of innovative treatments but also Ryan’s determination and the support of his family.”
The treatment regimen included a combination of infusions and an oral chemotherapy medication. For Goepel, the response was swift and dramatic.
“It was wickedly successful,” he says.
Within weeks, his leukemia had responded to treatment. By Sept. 20, he had achieved remission.
Just a short time earlier, Goepel and his family had been confronting a frightening and uncertain future. Now, they had something they desperately needed: hope.
“I went from hospice to cured in a month,” he says.
While Goepel describes the experience in those terms, he knows his journey was only beginning.
Fighting for the future
Goepel faced serious health challenges. About a week after his AML diagnosis, he was diagnosed with Legionnaires’ disease, part of what he calls his “September to remember.” The complex situation, he says, underscored the power of the hospital system and the internal medicine team that responded quickly and effectively. Later, he was hospitalized once more for pneumonia and developed an autoimmune-related condition affecting his legs. Yet through it all, he remained determined to move forward.
Remarkably, he never completely stopped working. As he recovered, doctors recommended a bone marrow transplant to help reduce the risk of his leukemia returning.
Then came another extraordinary development.
His sister, who lives in Australia, turned out to be a perfect donor match. For Goepel, the news was overwhelming.
Half a world away, his sister immediately stepped forward to help provide the lifesaving gift that would give her brother the best possible chance for a healthy future.
“My sister saved my life,” Goepel says.
On Nov. 26, 2024, under the care of Lazaros Lekakis, M.D., a professor of transplantation and cellular therapy at the Miller School, Goepel received his bone marrow transplant.
The moment represented far more than a medical procedure. It was a reminder of the powerful role family can play during cancer treatment and recovery.
“It wasn’t just the transplant,” Goepel says. “It was knowing that someone who loved me was willing to do whatever it took to give me a chance to be here.”
Looking ahead
Today, Goepel remains in remission and continues follow-up care with the Sylvester team. His recovery has not been without setbacks, but he continues rebuilding his strength.
He is also doing something that once seemed uncertain: living his life. He is leading an airline. He is spending time with his wife and children. He is planning for the future.
Looking back, Goepel believes access to innovative clinical trials played a critical role in giving him that future.
Only about 50 patients were participating in the phase 1 trial at the time he enrolled. For him, the experience underscored the importance of having access to a cancer center that offers cutting-edge research alongside expert clinical care.
“Getting access to a facility like Sylvester that has access to new treatments is incredible,” he says.
Today, he remains grateful not only for the treatment that helped him achieve remission, but also for the physicians, nurses, researchers and family members who stood beside him throughout his journey.
Less than two years ago, Goepel was facing one of the darkest moments of his life. Today, he is focused on something much different: the future.
Two days before his 50th birthday, he was finally discharged from the hospital after weeks of treatment and uncertainty. Instead of wondering whether he would see another birthday, he was celebrating with renewed hope. One year from his transplant surgery, he got married.
For a father, a husband and a survivor, that hope has become the greatest gift of all.
Medically reviewed by Justin Watts, M.D.
Tags: Acute Myeloid Leukemia, blood cancer, bone marrow transplant, cancer clinical trials, Dr. Justin Watts, Dr. Lazaros Lekakis, hematology, leukemia, Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center
