Every three minutes, someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer, like leukemia or lymphoma. As many as seventy percent of these patients don’t have a compatible match in their family, and must hope to find an unrelated donor. You can help these patients increase their odds by joining the Be The Match Registry®, an international registry of potential matches for those seeking a bone marrow transplant. Today, meet two CHOC patients who have benefited from a bone marrow transplant.
Emma, age 23
In the summer of 2017, I went from being a healthy 21-year-old college athlete to an acute myeloid leukemia patient in less than a week’s time. To say it happened fast is an understatement. The doctors told me I needed a bone marrow transplant as soon as possible. Dozens of my family members got tested to be a donor, but because it needed to happen quickly, we used my dad.
I received his stem cells on October 3, 2017. The procedure was difficult, but my medical team and the hospital staff were incredible. The oncology floor was like a huge family made up of patients, caretakers, survivors, supporters, and many others who had been touched by cancer. Thankfully, my husband was there every step of the way. By March 2018, I was able to move back to my hometown and resume college online. I was able to reclaim my life and feel hope for my future. Right now, I’m three weeks away from the one-year mark. I feel good, and I’m so grateful for my bone marrow transplant. It gave me back my life and the best gift of all: time.
Zaiden, age 3
I was diagnosed with B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia when I was 2 years old. Thankfully my parents took me to an amazing hospital, CHOC. Everyone is amazing there! I started heavy chemotherapy, and everything was going well. Unfortunately, I relapsed after nine months of treatment. It was after this I had my first bone marrow transplant, with my dad as my donor. Again, I was kind of back to my normal life when I relapsed again at the six-month mark. After this we tried Car T Cell therapy, but I again relapsed after nine months. So, in April 2018 I had my second bone marrow transplant and this time it was my sister who got to be my donor. These treatments were not easy, but I have been living my best life since then.
I am extremely lucky that I was able to be matched not once but twice with people in my family as my donors. A lot of kids are not as lucky and have to wait a long time to find a match. Because of my treatments it inspired my parents to register with Be the Match in hopes they could do the same thing for someone else that saved my life.
Get more expert health advice delivered to your inbox monthly by subscribing to the KidsHealth newsletter here.
Learn more about the Hyundai Cancer Center at CHOC
CHOC Hospital was named one of the nation’s best children’s hospitals by U.S. News & World Report in its 2024-25 Best Children’s Hospitals rankings and ranked in the cancer specialty.
