The Gift of Stem Cells

After more than 4 years of recovery time, Ron and I decided to submit the paperwork to possibly make contact with his bone marrow donor. The required wait time was longer because the donor wasn't from the United States. Ron did not have a match in the United States registry; when the international registry was used, there were 3 matches. We knew the donor was from Europe due to the timing of the flight that brought the stem cells to Detroit, then Ann Arbor. The transplant had been delayed one day due to requiring a second harvesting of stem cells. This seems like a lifetime ago.
Why wait more than 2 years beyond the required wait time when you are so grateful? Due to the many complications, repeated hospitalizations, physical and cognitive changes, we weren't sure what the donor would want to know. In spite of everything, Ron and I are so grateful that he is "still here", and Ron is amazingly accepting of his altered quality of life. During Ron's 9 months of remission between acute myeloid leukemia diagnoses, he was able to return to officiating high school volleyball, softball, and basketball. He ran in a 5K Turkey Trot at Thanksgiving. Life was back to normal. October 2010.

Then he relapsed in May 2011. Following chemotherapy to bring him to a second remission, he had his bone marrow transplant August 26, 2011. Although he was a 10 for 10 match with his donor, his new bone marrow has waged battle on his body, much like an autoimmune disease. Chronic graft vs. host disease. cGVHD. So…where are we now? The permanent effects from the transplant and the infections that Ron has battled through ("You do know that Ron is a miracle?" one nurse said recently.) have immensely changed his quality of life. But the leukemia has not returned, and Ron does have life, and there is much that we can still enjoy, so we are so grateful to a donor halfway around the world who was willing to give Ron this lifesaving gift.