Cancer did not stop former Anykščiai deputy mayor’s career

Virgilijus Vaičiulis had just turned 69 when he reflected on the 14 years since doctors diagnosed him with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. The former Anykščiai deputy mayor says medical progress and an innovative treatment have allowed him to keep living a full life.

He discovered the illness almost by chance. His family doctor suggested preventive blood tests, which showed an unusually high lymphocyte count. When repeated tests remained abnormal, doctors at Santaros Clinics diagnosed leukemia. For a time, they monitored him as his condition gradually worsened.

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In 2018, a lymph node appeared in my groin. Then they gave me chemotherapy. It helped that time.

In 2018, a lymph node appeared in his groin and doctors prescribed chemotherapy. “In 2018, a lymph node appeared in my groin. Then they gave me chemotherapy. It helped that time,” Vaičiulis recalled. He later tried different medicines, but when another sizeable lymph node appeared in 2024 and his condition failed to improve, doctors turned to CAR-T cell therapy. The treatment took place from late September to early October 2024, and he says it has been successful.

The disease weakened his immune system, so he still visits doctors once a month to receive immunoglobulin. He also experienced heart-rhythm problems, which had existed before his leukemia diagnosis, but the irregularities stopped after his medication changed.

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There were no serious side effects from the chemotherapy. Maybe I felt a little nauseous after the third session. Since I felt nothing bad, the treatment did not interfere with work and I had enough energy.

The illness did not end his working life. He spent only the first three days in hospital during his 2018 chemotherapy, then visited a day hospital once a month for infusions. “There were no serious side effects from the chemotherapy. Maybe I felt a little nauseous after the third session. Since I felt nothing bad, the treatment did not interfere with work and I had enough energy,” he said.

Now retired, Vaičiulis says life at home with his wife keeps him busy, especially in summer. He urges other patients to trust qualified doctors. “I think our doctors are very good, and medicine has advanced greatly. I tell my wife and children that without such medical progress, I probably would no longer be walking this earth. Still, you have to trust those who have completed their studies,” he said.

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I think our doctors are very good, and medicine has advanced greatly. I tell my wife and children that without such medical progress, I probably would no longer be walking this earth. Still, you have to trust those who have completed their studies.