After a career as an attorney for the United States Courts in Washington, D.C., and more than a decade living in southern Florida, Mark Braswell and his husband, Enrique, moved to Hendersonville, North Carolina, in November 2021 to enjoy mountain life.
Braswell, 67, a North Carolina native, found himself enjoying trips to Biltmore Estate as an annual pass holder so much that a friend encouraged him to work there. He was hired as an estate ambassador, welcoming guests, and later became a tour guide.
In March 2023, he injured his back while working, but after months of physical therapy, he was still hurting. His doctor ordered scans of his back, followed by biopsies, revealing that Braswell was dealing with something far more serious: stage 4 non-small cell lung cancer.
“Mark is not the face that people imagine when they hear ‘lung cancer,’” says UNC Health oncologist Carrie Lee, MD, MPH. “He’s so vibrant, in great physical shape, active in his community and a never-smoker. His lung cancer diagnosis was totally unexpected, but lung cancer can affect anyone. Never-smokers account for about 15 percent of new lung cancer diagnoses.”
A Targeted Treatment
Braswell was originally referred to a clinic closer to home, but his sister encouraged him to consider UNC Health for treatment because of success stories she had heard. Braswell’s internet research led him to Dr. Lee’s online profile, which inspired him to pursue care in Chapel Hill.
“When I saw her video and had my first appointment in October of 2023, I knew she was the one for me,” Braswell says. “Dr. Lee has compassion and brilliance, and she was exactly who I needed to have the courage to fight this.”
Dr. Lee’s team performed molecular analysis on Braswell’s tumor, revealing that his cancer was driven by a rare genetic tumor mutation.
“Fortunately, this mutation is one for which we have a very effective targeted therapy—a pill treatment,” Dr. Lee says. “It’s important for all non-small cell lung cancer tumors to have tumor DNA sequencing so that we can better tailor treatments to individuals. Personalized cancer medicine yields much better outcomes than in the past.”
Braswell began taking the pill Tabrecta (capmatinib) twice a day in November of 2023. That December, he also received five days of radiation on the vertebrae where cancer was originally discovered following his back injury.
“By January of 2024, the targeted treatment was so successful that the tumor in my lung had shrunk to about half its size,” Braswell says. “My cancer has remained fully arrested, and I feel fantastic. We are very, very happy with the results and deeply grateful.”
Managing Side Effects to Maximize Quality of Life
While Braswell’s results are impressive, his journey hasn’t been easy.
“Although this treatment works well to control the cancer, it has some side effects that can decrease quality of life,” Dr. Lee says. “Mark has been extremely diligent with supportive care to minimize those side effects so that he can go on living as normally as possible. His attitude is everything, and we are in awe of his determined spirit.”
For Braswell, the medication and treatment caused nausea, pain, fatigue and lymphedema, swelling from a build-up of lymph fluid that typically affects the arms and legs. Learning to handle these ongoing side effects was important as he still takes Tabrecta. Staying active and maintaining his routine were key.
“I decided to keep working at Biltmore Estate after my diagnosis because I wanted as much normalcy as possible, and my colleagues felt like family,” Braswell says. “Sharing stories and seeing the smiles of the guests kept my mind off of me and helped me each day.”
Braswell officially retired from Biltmore in September 2024 to focus on self-care and enjoying life, but he’s staying busy, starting a new tour venture in Asheville and finding more time for some of his passions, especially songwriting. Braswell and Enrique also rescued a dog, Rusty, who Braswell says is great therapy.
“It’s important to be kind to yourself, so I look for ways I can treat myself and do something special,” he says. “We just flew back to Florida to go swimming in the ocean and feel the sun. Now is the time to eat the cake, so I’ve recently taken up baking—cakes, muffins, banana bread and more!”
Braswell attributes a lot of his success managing side effects to optimism.
“The greatest asset is maintaining positivity,” he says. “There have been some very hard days, but you have to get out of bed and keep going. I had to believe in my body’s ability to fight back. Today, I feel great. With Dr. Lee’s good care, I plan on having lots of wonderful tomorrows.”
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