Oscar Chalupsky: told “hopeless” in three countries, he flew to Shanghai for CAR-T

Patient from

South Africa

Oscar Chalupsky

62 years old, South Africa; former Olympic kayak captain

Condition

High-risk multiple myeloma

Treatment

CAR-T cell therapy

Hospital

Ruijin Hospital, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine

City

Shanghai

Before China

Diagnosed with high-risk multiple myeloma six years earlier, Oscar sought treatment in South Africa, Portugal and Germany and was told, without exception, that his condition was too difficult to treat or even hopeless.

Getting care in China

Using AI tools such as ChatGPT and DeepSeek, he searched for “the world’s best hematology department” and set his sights on Ruijin Hospital. After online contact in November, the international medical department and hematology team agreed to a pre-treatment evaluation. In December he flew to Shanghai for a whole-body PET-MR, bone marrow biopsy and T-cell function tests.

Timeline

1. 1Six years earlier: diagnosed with high-risk multiple myeloma; doctors in three countries see little hope.
2. 2November 2025Online contact with Ruijin’s international medical department and hematology team.
3. 3December 2025Flies to Shanghai; PET-MR, bone marrow biopsy and T-cell tests; CAR-T plan drawn up.
4. 4February 2026Treatment under way; China Daily and the Shanghai government publish his story.

Outcome

A treatment plan built around CAR-T therapy was drawn up and he began treatment in Shanghai. The report of 4 February 2026 does not state a clinical result. After his experience he recommended the hospital to two patients from New Zealand who followed his journey on social media.

Each story is one person’s reported experience, not a promise of results. Outcomes differ with diagnosis and the individual. This is not medical advice; treatment decisions are made with the treating hospital.