At 35, Robert Parnes, MD, was diagnosed with lymphoma and told he might have only eight to 10 years to live. As a young physician, husband, and father of two, the news was devastating.

Although Dr. Parnes had access to several leading medical institutions on the East Coast, a trusted colleague encouraged him to travel to Nebraska to see James Armitage, MD, a world-renowned lymphoma expert. After seeking other opinions, Dr. Parnes and his family made the trip to Omaha.

From his first meeting with Dr. Armitage, Dr. Parnes sensed something was different.

“My goal is to cure you,” Dr. Parnes recalls Dr. Armitage telling him. “I had not heard that before, and I cannot begin to tell you how much even a small amount of hope meant to me at that time.”

Dr. Armitage also took time to understand how the diagnosis affected Dr. Parnes’ family.

“He understood that my disease would not only affect me but also those around me,” Dr. Parnes says.

Dr. Parnes initially responded well to treatment, but his lymphoma returned six years later. He returned to Nebraska for an autologous stem cell transplant and has remained in remission ever since.

In the years that followed, Dr. Parnes continued his career, built his own ophthalmology practice, and watched his children grow up – milestones that once seemed uncertain.

“Dr. Armitage saved my life in more ways than one,” Dr. Parnes says. “He made me a more thoughtful person and a better doctor to my own patients.”

Turning gratitude into a legacy

As the 20th anniversary of his stem cell transplant approached, Dr. Parnes began thinking more seriously about how he could honor the physician he credits with saving his life.

“Dr. Armitage is an excellent clinician and world-renowned researcher, but he is also an amazing and humble human being,” Dr. Parnes says. “I wanted to honor his legacy through a gift that would last generations.”

Dr. Parnes made the first gift toward establishing the James O. Armitage, MD, Chair in Hematological Malignancies. Other donors joined the effort, helping make that vision a reality.

In December 2025, internationally recognized lymphoma expert and clinician-scientist Matthew Lunning, DO, FACP, was named the chair’s inaugural recipient. Dr. Lunning has known Dr. Armitage for more than 25 years and credits his mentorship with helping shape his career.

“It gives me the opportunity to tell the story of who I believe Dr. Armitage is, to honor his career, and to promote his vision about what it means to be a physician for the patient,” Dr. Lunning says.

For Dr. Parnes, the chair represents far more than an expression of gratitude for the care that saved his life.

“It’s an opportunity to ensure that Nebraska Medicine | Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center can continue to advance lymphoma care and research, bringing hope and better outcomes to patients not only in Nebraska but also around the world,” he says.