Reimagining the World Without Terminal Illness: John Caramanica

As he battles metastatic skin cancer, Wyss Scientific Instrument Maker John Caramanica is more motivated than ever to do his part in fabricating technologies to improve the health of others and our planet

By Jessica Leff 

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Before 5:30 AM, in the quiet stillness of the early morning, John Caramanica enters the Wyss machine shop.    

He turns on the devices, and while he waits for them to warm up, he proceeds one floor up to the kitchen to turn on the kettle. Once he has his tea, he sips it while sitting in the Wyss entryway, staring at the large screen, taking in news from across the Institute.  

When everything is up and running, he inputs the information he programmed the previous day into the machines. As more people arrive, he wanders the halls to hear what researchers are working on, offering help designing and fabricating prototypes. His calm, cheery demeanor gives nothing away.  

So, it would be easy to miss the fact that John is living with metastatic cancer.  

From Waltham to Harvard 

John Caramanica was born in Waltham, Massachusetts, a city with a long industrial history. One day, an administrator at the Catholic High School he attended called his father and said that, because of his behavior, they did not want him to return. The next week, John’s father enrolled him in a trade school and told him that he would follow in his uncles’ footsteps and become a machinist. John recalls, “I didn’t know what a machine shop was. The first day of school, one of my friends cut his thumb off on a machine. I came home and said, ‘This is not for me.’ My dad told me to go back and keep trying. I graduated and have been a machinist ever since.” He continues with a smile, “And to this day, I still have all ten of my fingers.”  

After graduating, John’s first job was making molds at a shoe factory. Then he became a tool and die maker at Raytheon, a major U.S. defense contractor and industrial corporation with a large presence in Massachusetts.  

At home, John had a daughter, Christine, and then two sons, Rickie and Stephen. As his kids grew up, he took them fishing and taught them to use tools. The whole family would go to the movies, swim, and take vacations together.  

Then, in 2003, John was laid off. He took it as an opportunity to attend UMass Lowell in the evenings and study mechanical engineering, inspiring his son to join him.  

Armed with a new degree, John started working at the Harvard College Observatory (HCO) in 2006. As part of their collaboration with the Smithsonian Institute and NASA, he engineered parts for space shuttles and telescopes. “I got to work directly with scientists and engineers and had more freedom than I did in my previous job. If something didn’t make sense, I could call up the researchers and give them my suggestions. Usually, they’d tell me to try it, and it often worked.”  

He also met a coworker who has remained instrumental in his life, Paul Machado. 

Being in the right place at the right time 

Paul left the HCO in 2011 and joined the Wyss Institute, which was only two years old at the time. With its focus on technology translation, the Institute wanted its own machine shop, a place where machinists use blueprints, sketches, or computer-aided design, along with manufacturing files and equipment, to fabricate parts. The benefit of having an in-house machine shop is that researchers can collaborate with machinists directly on designs and have parts and prototypes manufactured in only a few days.  

In 2012, Paul called John about a job opening at the Wyss. John’s interview lasted a few hours, and he quickly fell in love with the Institute. The opportunity to collaborate directly with researchers developing cutting-edge medical and sustainability technologies, who were working across disciplines and breaking down silos, was exciting and fulfilling. Soon, John gained another essential benefit.  

About two years into his time at the Wyss, a collaborating cardiologist visited the machine shop to look at a device John and Paul were building. Offhandedly, John mentioned a cyst under his arm that was giving him trouble. The clinician asked John to take a look, then advised him to see a dermatologist immediately.   

A biopsy revealed that it wasn’t a cyst; it was a rare, malignant melanoma. Within a few days, John saw an oncologist and got a surgery date. “They found that the cancer had spread through the lymph nodes and almost to the nerves. They said once that happened, it would have been the end. If I hadn’t been at the Wyss and gotten the nudge to get it checked out, I probably wouldn’t be here today.” After surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation, John was given a clean bill of health.  

Small-scale parts, large-scale impact 

One of the earliest projects John worked on was creating molds for the newly developed Organ Chips, microfluidic devices lined with living human cells to be used for drug development, disease modeling, and personalized medicine. John also worked on a vibrating mattress, initially intended to help infants with sleep apnea. 

Currently, John is working on a hemostasis monitor to test for blood clots in mesothelioma patients. He explains, “Biologists approach us with an idea, and we draw out our proposals with the machines in mind. We can then refine the prototypes based on the researchers’ feedback. We complement each other; I might not understand how blood clots work, but the scientist doesn’t know how to use a CNC Milling Machine. Together, we can make something amazing.”  

Thinking about the future, John says, “If I could Reimagine the World, there would be no hatred, no bigotry. Everybody would be equal. There would be enough food and medicine for everybody, and it would be affordable. And there would be no serious illnesses.” 

While this may seem far from reach, John’s work at the Wyss is making strides towards his ideal vision. He explains, “I hope the impact of my work is that someday, an invention that I had even a small part in can change someone’s life for the better. That’s more of a reward than anything else.”   

Those dreams are already coming true. In 2023, the FDA Modernization Act 2.0 allowed for the use of Organ Chip data in drug development and safety testing. The vibrating mattress technology was licensed to Prapela, which recently was awarded FDA Breakthrough Device status as a treatment for opioid-exposed newborns and apnea of prematurity. In April 2025, the FDA granted the device de novo clearance. 

John says, “To know that something I worked on thirteen years ago is coming to life and helping people is incredible, but I know that’s what we’re doing at the Wyss. We’re saving lives.”  

A difficult diagnosis  

About a year ago, John had a bad cough that he couldn’t seem to shake. He went to the doctor to get a chest X-ray, thinking it was pneumonia. Antibiotics didn’t help, so he went back for more imaging. The doctors discovered fluid in the pleural cavity, which they drained and sent for analysis. Results revealed that John had cancer again. His oncologist ordered PET scans and eventually concluded that the old melanoma had returned and metastasized to his right lung and spine.  

The cancer isn’t curable, so his doctors are trying to slow its progression. They started John on immunotherapy and put in a shunt to drain fluid from his lungs. Unfortunately, the tumors in his spine are pressing on a nerve that’s causing pain in his hands. 

Recently, his care team found that the immunotherapy wasn’t working, so they started administering chemotherapy. Because the cancer is so rare, the doctors haven’t been able to give John an accurate prediction of its progression. He says, “I wish they would give me a timeline, whether it’s a month, a year, or five years, just so I can get that off my mind. I can do a lot in five years. As long as I can do my job and I have my mind, I’ll be good.”  

Compassion extends beyond the bench 

John has given so much to his family over the years, and now they’ve been able to give back to him. John’s wife, Piper, drains his shunt three times a week. His children and eight grandchildren call him constantly and offer their help. They drive him to appointments when he isn’t supposed to transport himself.  

In addition to his family, another group offered John their support: the Wyss community. He explains, “When I first started getting all of the information and the test results, it was overwhelming and hard to understand. I would go to Des White, one of the researchers, and ask him if he could interpret it for me. He’s been so helpful in explaining everything.”  

Then, Jim Niemi, Senior Director of Translational R&D, approached him to ask how he could help. “I was so touched. I told him about my hands, and he knew exactly what to do. He suggested a chemotherapy drug to ease the pain and gave me a website for clinical trials.” 

His supervisor, Senior Director of Research Operations Rob Rasmussen, Ph.D., also offered a listening ear. “He continues to be a sounding board for me, no matter what the problem is, big or small.”  

And of course, his long-time friend Paul has been doing his part. “He won’t let me carry anything heavy,” John says. “He’s always bringing in food. I couldn’t ask for a better friend.”  

Not only does the Wyss have brilliant people, but it has caring people. If they’re showing me this level of compassion and dedication, imagine how hard they’re working to help others. I’m just an individual, but through their work, their impact will be magnified.

Since his diagnosis, John has had an even greater appreciation for the benefits of having a large, multidisciplinary group of scientists under one roof. If the first person he asks cannot answer his question, they refer him to someone with a different area of expertise. The same principle applies to the Grand Challenges that researchers are trying to address. He explains, “Not only does the Wyss have brilliant people, but it has caring people. If they’re showing me this level of compassion and dedication, imagine how hard they’re working to help others. I’m just an individual, but through their work, their impact will be magnified.” 

The value of science and staying busy  

Despite his illness, or maybe because of it, John is more motivated than ever to continue working. He reflects, “Helping researchers, some of whom are studying cancer, has become even more important. I know that what we’re working on isn’t going to help me, but I also know they’re doing their best to figure this out, and maybe in ten years, it’s going to help somebody who is in my position. That’s what I’d hope for, and I’m glad to be part of it, no matter how small. I couldn’t stay home knowing I could be here contributing.” 

So, he continues putting in a hard day’s work. Since he arrives so early, he gets back to his wife and his five-year-old Havanese, Poppy, with enough time to spend the afternoon on the deck reading a book and watching the birds or fishing. He explains, “I come home knowing I did something. Science is important. Even if I don’t always understand it, we’ve seen through the course of history that it works. It’s helped people and will continue to do so. The work we’re doing at the Wyss will have a positive impact. It could even help my children and grandchildren someday.”   

Stop and smell the roses and the sawdust 

It’s been a little more than a year since John’s second cancer diagnosis. At first, it was difficult to accept his fate. But now, he’s more at peace, trying to take advantage of the time he has left to enjoy life and the people he loves. “Any day above ground is a good day. I appreciate nature more; I’ve even started learning the names of different plants. I eat whatever I want – the other night, my wife and I had hot fudge sundaes for dinner. I text my grandchildren, watch their sports games, and visit with them when they’re around. On challenging days, I try to stay positive. I’ve seen people at the oncologist’s office who look a lot worse than I do. I count my blessings – I’m mobile, I can drive, and I can wash and feed myself. Plus, I have my sense of humor.”   

Early on the weekend mornings, John’s son goes out to his garage, which doubles as a woodworking studio. It has air conditioning, heat, and an in-law apartment upstairs with a fully functioning bathroom. He adjusts the temperature so that by the time his father arrives, they can work together comfortably.    

A while ago, the two started working on a desk. John explains, “I’ll get to the shop, start working on it, and realize I don’t like the way the bandsaw cut, for example, and so I’ll adjust it. At the end of the day, all I have to show is one drawer. My wife said she doesn’t think the desk will ever be finished, but I told her that I had a dream that God told me I will be alive to complete it. So, I told her, ‘I’m just going to take my time.’”