Darin Dotter refuses to let a cancer diagnosis define him.

The 59-year-old Carbon County native is sharing his story of courage and resilience after being diagnosed three years ago with solitary plasmacytoma, a rare form of the disease that impacts “fewer than 500 people in the United States a year.”

Dotter, of East Penn Township, discovered his condition after breaking his arm while working part time for a local undertaker. What seemed at the time like a simple injury revealed something far more serious.

“I had no idea that I broke my arm,” Dotter said. “I didn’t feel it. I didn’t hear it.”

After seeking medical attention, X-rays revealed cancer had eaten away at his bone from the inside. Following his diagnosis in 2022, he underwent five weeks of radiation therapy, receiving treatment five days a week.

“Getting radiation was not a big deal,” Dotter said. “I didn’t get sick from it. Toward the end, I got tired.”

The treatment successfully put his cancer into remission.

However, almost three years to the day after his initial diagnosis, the cancer returned in a different form.

“The first time, it ate the bone from the inside out,” Dotter said. “The second time, when it came back, it came back on the outside, came to the lymph node on the right axillary, and into the arm.”

He noticed warning signs similar to his first diagnosis.

“I was going to bed at 9 again, feeling tired,” Dotter said. “And we have a dog. He was sniffing my arm again, which he did the first time. … And I was having fevers at night again.”

After discovering a lump while showering in late November, he sought medical attention. Following blood work, a PET scan and biopsies, he began treatment in February. He recently completed the second of four treatment cycles, each lasting one month.

“This week was a little hiccup,” Dotter said during an interview last week. “My platelets are low, so I couldn’t do my treatment on Tuesday. My blood was a little off.”

He also developed “a really severe reaction” to one of the three drugs used in his treatment regimen, requiring an adjustment to his therapy plan.

Despite these challenges, Dotter continues to work full time at Lehigh Asphalt.

“I’m a lousy patient; I can’t stand sitting at home and I’m well enough to work, so why not work?” he said. “I’ll work as long as I can.”

His employer has been supportive throughout his journey.

“They said, from day one, if you need a ride, you call us,” Dotter said. “We’ll get you to any doctors you need.”

Following his current treatment cycle, he expects to undergo a stem cell transplant this summer.

“You’re in the hospital for about three to four weeks for a stem cell,” Dotter said.

The procedure will use his own stem cells in what’s called an autologous transplant, followed by approximately 100 days of recovery at home.

His prognosis has improved significantly compared with just two years ago.

“I just found out the other week that if this would have happened, if I’d been in this stage right now two years ago … I really would probably be very close to death,” he said. “Two years ago, the prognosis for this was two to three years. Right now my prognosis is five to eight.”

Dotter will be receiving a Courage Award at the upcoming American Cancer Society of Eastern PA telethon on April 12-13.

“To be nominated for it is really nice,” he said. “I don’t like the word proud. I would use the words happy, grateful, thankful.”

Throughout his journey, Dotter has relied heavily on faith and a positive outlook.

“Prayer gets you through it,” he said. “Your faith in God gets you through it. We all know we have a limited time on Earth. One day I’ll get eternal healing. When that is, I don’t know. I don’t worry about that side of it.”

Dotter also emphasized the importance of maintaining perspective.

“You’re going to have good days,” he said. “You’re going to have bad days. My good days way, way outnumber any bad day. I might have a bad moment, I might have a bad hour, bad two hours, but I don’t have a bad day no matter what.”

As a lifelong Carbon County resident who graduated from Lehighton Area High School in 1983, Dotter remains active in his community. He teaches Sunday school when possible and serves on the board at Mahoning Valley Ambulance Association.

His message for others facing similar challenges focuses on hope and purpose.

“Live your life every day,” he said. “You can’t get yourself down. You can’t think about the negative part. You’ve got to have a good, positive attitude. God put us on this earth to make a difference in life.”