For most people, a cancer diagnosis is about the most negative thing that can happen.

Dr. Richard Senelick isn’t most people.

“I have had many more positive things from having cancer, from going through chemo and having a transplant, than negative things,” the San Antonio-based neurologist told members of The Blood and Tissue Center Foundation board of directors at their November meeting.

Dr. Senelick was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, and he wound up having a stem cell transplant using his own modified cells as part of his treatment. He currently is in remission.

His treatment was similar to the hundreds of adult stem cell transplants GenCure helps make possible every year through its apheresis center and its donor recruitment programs.

One of the positives about going through chemotherapy, for example, was that it is the great equalizer.

The community is invited to support innovative medical research during the AABB’s National Blood Foundation (NBF) Run for Research. South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC) and its nonprofit parent, BioBridge Global, are official community partners of the event.

The 5K run/1-mile walk, which is also sponsored by the Armed Services Blood Program, is scheduled for 7 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 20, starting at Sunset Station, 1174 E. Commerce St.

The race is part of a series of NBF fundraisers for blood and cell therapy research. The event takes place during the 2019 AABB Annual Meeting in San Antonio.