INDIANAPOLIS — During a check-up at IU Health North, 17-year-old Gavyn Fritz is playing a game of putt-putt with his doctor.
Golf has become Fritz’s escape.
“Something to distract yourself — something else to do than just sit and be sick,” he said.
In December, Gavyn was diagnosed with high-risk B-cell leukemia.
“I didn’t really expect it,” he said. “Obviously, I was just trying to play basketball with my friends and enjoy that season, and then it kind of just happened out of nowhere. I thought something was wrong. Legs were hurting, couldn’t really keep up, but eventually figured out what it was.”
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Dr. Anthony Ross diagnosed Gavyn and has been with him since.
“It’s a long journey, so that’s why if we can normalize their health and activity as much as possible, that’s what we strive for,” Ross said.
While basketball was off the table, golf became Gavyn’s outlet — even as he received a 28-day continuous infusion of a new treatment called blinatumomab.
“It’s a relatively new medicine,” Ross explained. “Basically, what that is is it’s a molecule that connects our body’s T cells to the leukemia cells and allows T cells to kill off the leukemia cells.”
Gavyn wore a fanny pack containing the medicine while he played.
“Playing golf, but harder, I guess,” he said with a laugh.
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Ross said Gavyn was one of the first high-risk patients he treated with the drug in upfront therapy — a shift from its previous use in relapsed leukemia cases.
“It has shown excellent survival outcomes,” Ross said.
Now, as Gavyn keeps practicing his putting for next spring, he’s also inspiring others to keep moving forward.
“I think it’s remarkable,” Ross said. “A lot of our patients, particularly our teenage patients, their lives stop during treatment. But seeing someone else be out and active and doing the things that they love — it’s a wonderful story to look at and aspire to do.”
