Research Saves Lives: A Duke Clinical Trial Provides a Lifeline for Lung Cancer Patient

Alfonzo Grafton and Dr. Eziafa Oduah discuss the drug trial that turned around his life following his lung cancer diagnosis.

On a recent evening, Alfonzo Grafton arrived at the Blue Note Grill, an iconic cultural institution in Durham’s downtown district. Grafton, a 6-foot-10-inch tall former college athlete, found a table near the crowded bar. The bespectacled 73-year-old was looking forward to a night of dancing to live music.

The fact that Grafton was at the Blue Note Grill, and ready to dance no less, was remarkable. 

Two years ago, Grafton learned he had stage 4 lung cancer. But thanks to a clinical trial at Duke funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), he had a lifeline.

When Grafton was diagnosed, “it hit me like a ton of bricks,” he said. “I blocked out everything. I heard nothing else [the doctor] said. All I heard was ‘stage 4.’ My life is all done.”

The doctor’s prognosis of Grafton’s condition was grim. “I was told most people don’t even make it two years,” said Grafton, a retired Durham County detention officer who lives with his wife, Theresa, in North Durham.

He’s had a full life: traveling, enjoying his family, detailing cars, hanging out with members of his car club, dancing and deejaying under the moniker “Dr. Stick.”

“Throwing functions, gatherings, bringing people together,” Grafton said. “That’s what I like to do.”

But prior to his diagnosis Grafton said he kept getting tired “all the time.” 

Duke Research Saves Lives photo and girl with ball

“I was exhausted. I couldn’t get up the stairs, and then at night when I was asleep, I couldn’t breathe,” he said. After a CAT scan, a doctor gave him a diagnosis of lung cancer. Grafton started a round of chemotherapy, but the side effects were strong and he “didn’t feel like leaving the house.”

“After the second round of chemo, the doctor said, ‘It’s not working.’ You know, I’m about to lose it. I’m like, ‘this can’t be happening.’”

Then Grafton’s physician offered him a trial medication funded by an NIH grant to the Duke Cancer Institute.  The medication targets a protein called PCSK9 that has been found to inhibit the immune’s system ability to attack the tumor.

Alfonso Grafton, a Durham man with stage four lung cancer, is photographed with Dr. Eziafa Oduah, MD, PhD, MPH, a Duke Medical Oncologist.

Joining the trial was an easy decision. “The doctor said, ‘It’s up to you. This is your choice,’” said Grafton. “I like living. I like living more than anything else. I’m willing to try anything.

“Then when we started the [trial medication], the results were amazing to me.”

Amazing indeed: The tumor devastating Grafton’s life quickly shrank.

Dr. Jeffrey Crawford, the physician who initially treated Grafton retired and was replaced by Duke medical oncologist Dr. Eziafa Oduah. Grafton was the first of 60 patients who received the experimental medication.

“I felt like I was living again. I had my life back,” Grafton said

“He is one of the super responders,” said Oduah, explaining the response among patients differed. “Some of the patients did not respond to the medication at all.”

The clinical trial is continuing into 2026. The study, Oduah said, is essential to learning why the medication is working well for Grafton and not for others.

“Many years ago, all we had was chemotherapy,” Oduah said. “But chemotherapy is tough on the body. As we advance our research, we’re trying to move away from chemotherapy to use things like immunotherapies and targeted therapies in lung cancer. This is why research is so important. If it wasn’t for research, we wouldn’t be where we are now.”

At a moment in which this research is at risk, Grafton said he wants these studies to be more accessible for a wider audience.

“People need to understand that if it’s something that can be cured, something that you can keep a person going, man, y’all have to keep this funding going.”

Grafton was born and raised in Durham; he grew up in the West End and Lakewood neighborhoods and attended Durham High School.

His fondest memory is of his mother seeing him receive an athletic scholarship to play basketball at North Carolina Central University, the historically Black university less than a five-minute drive from his home.

Alfonso Grafton with his two sons and granddaughter along with Dr. Eziafa Oduah, photographed in Grafton’s “Duke Room,” filled with Duke basketball memorabilia.

While a Central graduate, Grafton is a Duke superfan, especially of men’s basketball. A visit to his television room provides the evidence.

One wall in the TV room is painted Duke blue with the university’s grinning mascot logo in the center. An adjoining wall has framed pictures of past Duke basketball teams. Grant Hill and Zion Williamson are prominently featured. A third wall is nearly covered by an 80-inch flat-screen TV.

Grafton calls his space the “Duke Room.”

There’s a plaque commemorating his retirement from the Durham Sheriff’s Office, where he worked from 1994 until 2014. A framed April 28, 1970, Durham Herald newspaper photo shows Grafton and his mother with legendary former N.C. Central athletic director and track coach Harry Edmonds when Grafton signed his athletic scholarship to play basketball at Central.

On June 12, Grafton and Oduah sat in his Duke Room and talked about his cancer journey together.

For a little more than an hour, they talked about the hopelessness that engulfed him when he learned he had cancer and two years, or less, to live.  

They discussed the grueling five-hour long chemotherapy treatments that left him exhausted. He lost 75 pounds and could no longer do the things he loves.

Most of all, the doctor and patient talked about the importance of early cancer screenings and the NIH funding that transformed his life.

“I can dance again,” Grafton said.

“But without this funding…” Grafton trailed off. “This is a fact. This is what I truly believe: God and the NIH is why I’m here talking to you right now.”

Grafton and his son Shon Reid Grafton, pose with Susan James, director of strategic events & community partnerships at Duke Health, in front of Alfonso’s 1972 Cutlass at the fundraiser.

Supporting Cancer Research

During his recovery from cancer, Alfonzo Grafton is giving back by throwing fundraisers to support thoracic cancer research. On July 12, Grafton and Bull City Throwback Cruisers sponsored “Cruisin’ for Cancer,” a showcase of more than 50 restored beauties of classic cars. Held at Northgate Mall in Durham, the event has raised more than $1,300 to date for research at the Duke Cancer Institute (DCI).

It was a community event, with food, extraordinary cars and many cancer survivors and their family members sharing their personal stories.

Joyfully taking on the role as an ambassador for cancer research, Grafton also is raising support on a special website to promote research at the DCI.

Pictured, Grafton and his son Shon Reid Grafton, pose with Susan George James, director of strategic events & community partnerships at Duke Health, in front of Alfonso’s 1972 Cutlass at the fundraiser.