Janet Smith during a recent lab visit.
Couple celebrates their past and present by planning their legacy
Janet Smith describes her “eccentric husband” Bill Brunk as everybody’s favorite person. Fun, independent, stubborn and genuine. “He was who he was,” she says. Tough and athletic, Bill was the kind of man who would tell you exactly what he was thinking. In short, Janet says, “he was pretty wonderful.”
When they retired, Janet and Bill planned to move to Florida, where his father lived, and eventually relocate to Sedona, Ariz., a place where they often went hiking and considered a peaceful retreat. They imagined years filled with hiking, travel, friends and their dogs.
Janet and her husband, Bill, hiking.
“Didn’t happen,” says Janet with evident nostalgia. Because in 2012, Bill was diagnosed with multiple myeloma following a routine physical exam at his doctor’s office. He had no symptoms, but his blood showed high levels of a protein that is a hallmark of the disease. A bone marrow biopsy confirmed the diagnosis. Bill was 66.
Defying a dire prognosis – from months to years
“When Bill was diagnosed, we were told he had three months to live,” says Janet. “I was like, ‘what do you do with that information?’”
“Bill kept his wherewithal through it all and handled treatment like a champ,” says Barry Hammer, PA-C, pictured with Janet in February 2026.
They came to The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center – Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Richard J. Solove Research Institute (OSUCCC – James), where Janet worked as a radiologist. Here, blood cancer specialists and subspecialists worked together to develop an individualized, highly targeted treatment plan.
Bill’s care included multiple drug regimens, chemotherapy followed by stem cell transplants twice, targeted therapies and immunotherapies, as well as participation in a clinical trial.
Instead of months, Bill lived an additional eight years. Janet credits Ohio State with the priceless gift of more time together.
“Bill’s team was amazing, they were wonderful to him,” says Janet. “He loved the people. We felt like family when we came here.”
Making every single day count
Janet and Bill shared many common interests throughout their 25-year marriage. They loved biking, skating and traveling. They enjoyed the company of friends and family. They cared deeply for animals and adored their dogs, including a Labrador mix puppy they named Bucky.
So, determined to make the most of whatever time they had with each other, Janet decided to retire early, “to hang out and play.”
And play they did. They went hiking in Hawaii after his first stem cell transplant, gathered with loved ones, celebrated transplant anniversaries and birthdays they once feared they might not reach. All while Bill underwent each stage of treatment and slowly, eventually worsened.
Janet says Bill never complained, but he did resist new limitations stubbornly – she had to hide his car keys so he wouldn’t drive and often got calls from neighbors about Bill laying on their yard after attempting to walk the dogs or to various places and getting too tired or dizzy. To the very end, Bill wanted to feel normal and remain independent. After years of treatment, he decided he no longer wanted additional interventions and passed away peacefully.
Helping those who can’t help themselves
Janet says it may sound strange, but she didn’t really believe Bill could ever be gone. And yet, once he was diagnosed, they thoughtfully discussed their joint legacy by planning their estate.
“We redid our trust,” she says. “We just wanted to give back.”
Moved by the expert and compassionate care Bill received at the OSUCCC – James, they decided to support multiple myeloma research to advance new and targeted therapy options that could save lives.
Janet with Aries, a German Shepherd she adopted from New Albany Pet Rescue, during treatment for colon cancer at Ohio State.
“It’s our way of saying ‘thank you,’” Janet says. “Thank you for the eight years.”
In honor of their shared passion for dogs and animals, Janet and Bill decided to also support Ohio State’s College of Veterinary Medicine to improve animal welfare and care in shelter settings.
“I got all my dogs from some type of rescue group,” says Janet: Sawyer, a golden doodle, whose mom was diagnosed with brain cancer; Beagle Boy, who wandered into a friend’s garage (he was not chipped); and Maggie Mae, a doodle, who had been kept in a cage for years.
“I never had children, so these are my babies,” says Janet.
Transcending illness and time through generosity
“The reason I was able to grow the program to what it is today was philanthropy,” says Don Benson, MD, PhD, the director of Ohio State’s Multiple Myeloma Program. “People who believed in us, who believed in our mission, and bet on us to succeed.” People like Janet and Bill, who Dr. Benson says are joining a distinct Ohio State tradition.
“At a place like Ohio State, there’s a legacy,” says Dr. Benson. “There’s a genealogy: here, we pay it forward.”
Dr. Benson, with Janet, has been conducting multiple myeloma research for more than 20 years. He says the work has been “a labor of love.”
Across campus at the College of Veterinary Medicine, Jeanette O’Quin, DVM, MPH, DACVPM, DABVP, a professor and national leader in shelter medicine agrees.
“This generous gift will allow us to continue building our curriculum while improving the quality of life of animals and the families who take them home,” says O’Quin. The support will elevate Ohio State’s pioneering program, which includes a required clinical rotation for fourth-year students, elective courses in shelter medicine and veterinary forensics, a student-run shelter medicine club and a ten-week summer externship.
Through the lives their generosity will touch, Janet and Bill’s legacy will live on, just as they hoped.
"If we could make a difference whatsoever, we wanted to."
How philanthropy is advancing multiple myeloma research at Ohio State
Today, 62% of people survive five or more years after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma, according to the National Cancer Institute. While this is a significant improvement from a decade ago, around the time when Bill was diagnosed, better treatment options are needed to help patients live longer, fuller, more active lives.
Janet and Bill’s generosity will help Ohio State’s recognized researchers pursue new approaches to treating multiple myeloma, giving future patients access to options that did not exist when Bill was diagnosed.
Hughes is a research scientist in Dr. Benson’s lab whose focus is the study of natural killer (NK) cells, the primary cells responsible for killing tumor cells and unique in our immune system because they can do so immediately upon first contact. Except multiple myeloma cells have similarities with NK cells that allow them to avoid detection.
Tiffany Hughes, PhD, shows elements of her work to Janet during a lab visit. “It’s an honor that someone would believe in me and the work that I’m doing that much,” she says.
One of the receptors NK and myeloma cells share is called AHR, which is activated by pollutants in the environment. Exposure to AHR activators increases the risk of developing cancers like multiple myeloma, which Hughes and members of the Benson lab have shown occurs because AHR activation promotes the growth of myeloma cells while also inhibiting NK cells.
The reverse is also true. “When we block AHR, we get more NK cells and they’re better at killing tumor cells,” says Hughes. “And myeloma cells die.” Hughes has been researching AHR since 2008 and working on a compound to block it since 2021.
Longo is a senior research associate who was recruited to Ohio State using funds from the Riney Family Foundation grant. Her work started with OSU-13, a landmark drug developed at Ohio State. The drug inhibits a protein called TTK responsible for checking if proper cell division occurs, which results in the production of unviable cells that eventually die.
Longo is now studying the small number of cells that do not die after treatment with the drug. More specifically, she’s interested in cells in a state called senescence, which do not multiply but also don’t die and may secrete molecules that interfere with the immune system.
“It’s always amazing when people come to the lab because it reminds us of the importance of what we are doing,” says Larissa Longo, PhD, of Janet’s recent visit.
Little research has been done on senescence in multiple myeloma, so Longo’s research is unique. She’s evaluating if OSU-13 can be used in combination with senolytics, which kill senescent cells. She also plans to study whether the molecules secreted by senescent cells have a positive or negative impact on the immune system.
Dr. Cottini, is a physician and assistant professor in hematology who specializes in the treatment of patients with plasma cell disorders, such as multiple myeloma and amyloidosis.
“There is a lot of enthusiasm about multiple myeloma treatments evolving. And we do have so many more options than before. Unfortunately, not everybody responds well to them. Our goal is to develop a drug specifically for patients with high risk, who have poor outcomes.”
Dr. Cottini’s lab is working on developing an immunotherapy to improve the function of bio-specific antibodies and studying the surface molecules of multiple myeloma cells as potential targets for CAR-T cells to find and destroy.
“Those who are not in the sciences may not understand that our work cannot be done without philanthropic support,” says Dr. Cottini. “Experiments, reagents, instruments, space and staff are expensive.”