This Philadelphia doctor's story of saving his own life is being made into a movie: "I almost died five times"

CBS News

29-05-2025

Penn Medicine doctor's story of saving his life is being made into a movie
Penn Medicine doctor's story of saving his life is being made into a movie
Penn Medicine doctor's story of saving his life is being made into a movie
Saving lives, first his own, then others. It's the story of a doctor researcher at Penn Medicine that's now being made into a movie.
A man on a mission, with science always running through his mind.
Dr. David Fajgenbaum works out the equations on his windows at Penn Medicine.
Focusing on immune cells is how he saved his life, with a new approach that's now saving others.
It's a story that's headed to Hollywood.
CBS News Philadelphia.
"This is a story about living from someone who was dying, and it's a story about creating hope when it feels like there is no hope," he said.
Fajgenbaum was filled with a more innocent kind of hope at Georgetown, where he was a quarterback. Then, at Penn Medicine, in his third year, he developed a rare disease called Castleman for which there was no treatment.
"In the first three years after my diagnosis, I almost died five times," he said. "I knew that if I didn't find a treatment, that I wasn't gonna survive. And so that was just my only hope."
Castleman puts the immune system in overdrive. Fajgenbaum figured an established transplant drug, which suppresses the immune system, might work, and it did.
"Turning hope into action," he said.
That's the theme of his book, "Chasing My Cure," A cure that came from an existing drug.
CBS News Philadelphia.
"It's so amazing to think that this drug was at my local CVS for all those years when I was in and out of the ICU, and no one knew to try it," said Fajgenbaum. "So I just keep thinking, how many more drugs that could treat more patients that are suffering from diseases?"
Fajgenbaum and his team at Penn find new uses for existing medications, drug repurposing.
"We've just uncovered time and time again that the solutions are out there. We just don't have anyone looking for these old solutions. Our medical system focuses on new drugs for profitable diseases. We want to focus on existing drugs for neglected diseases," Fajgenbaum said.
He started a nonprofit called Every Cure, where they repurpose drugs with the help of artificial intelligence.
Every Cure.
"And over the last 11 years, we've identified and advanced 13 more repurposed treatments for diseases they weren't intended for," Fajgenbaum said.
One is a vitamin derivative that can help some autistic children.
"That's one of my favorite programs. We're advancing another one is with the numbing medicine, lidocaine," he said.
That one is showing promise with breast cancer.
His story and research has made headlines and now a movie is in the works.
"The script is being written. I hear it's almost done, which is exciting. And then the next step is to identify the right lead actor," said Fajgenbaum. "My wife has ideas for people in mind. She would love Bradley Cooper to play me."
Playing the real-life story of a lifesaver. As if he doesn't already have enough accolades, Fajgenbaum was also just recognized as one of Time's 100Health leaders.