Mississippi coach cured of bowel cancer via fecal transplant

A high school football coach from Mississippi, Tim Story, has made a remarkable recovery from stage 3 bowel cancer using an experimental treatment. At 49, he was diagnosed after experiencing unusual pain and endured two years of chemotherapy. When doctors informed him that the cancer had spread and he had only months to live, he felt devastated. With limited options left, Story joined a clinical trial in Houston that involved receiving a fecal transplant. This transplant came from a patient who had successfully battled cancer through immunotherapy. Story recognized the risks, saying he felt like a "guinea pig," but he was willing to try anything to survive. The key to his treatment was a drug called a PD-1 inhibitor, which helps the immune system attack tumors. Traditional treatments had not worked for him. However, after his oncologist found a patient whose tumors shrank significantly, he initiated a trial with 15 patients, including Story. The procedure involved multiple stool infusions over a month, with some patients receiving additional capsules over the following months. While only a few showed temporary improvement, Story's tumors started to disappear. By the fall of 2024, he was declared cancer-free. He described this outcome as a miracle and a second chance at life. Since then, he has returned to coaching football and teaching, activities he cherished and had to pause during his illness. Fecal transplants, sometimes referred to as "poop pills," gained FDA approval in 2023. Researchers are now exploring their potential for treating other cancers, like pancreatic cancer, which has a low survival rate. For Story, the innovative method has been life-changing, and he feels grateful for his recovery.