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Category: Blog

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My Blood Brother

By Nick Hudson

Nick was a perfect match for a four-year-old “toe-head” boy named Cameron who had leukemia, and needed a bone marrow transplant. I was “the match.” Cam’s transplant was successful and his parents told him he had a “blood brother.” You will enjoy learning how these “strangers” became friends.

Karen’s CLL Journey- Wisdom, Inspiration, Resilience and Much More…

By: Karen Raman

Follow Karen’s cancer treatment journey and the multiple changes that occurred along her route. Lessons learned: you are your own best advocate; stay on top of your meds; and most important of all, keeping a positive outlook is at least fifty percent of the battle.

Transplant (An Unexpected Journey)

By: Jean C. Carroll

Discover how the support of community and extended family and a strong faith carries this young family on a seventeen-year journey into the unknown world of bone marrow transplant. There is a happy ending to their story.

Zen and the Art of Surviving a Bone Marrow Transplant

Me on the left with my donor Ralf on the right in September 2018, in Aschaffenburg, Bavaria, Germany thirty months post transplant.

By: Peter Thomason

Peter shares how he found his way to handling the different issues that accompanied his post-BMT challenges. His discovery of Zen, a Japanese word for “meditation,” brought a sense of peace to his living each day as a cancer survivor.

A Donor’s Story

By: Maureen Sonntag

A beloved fourth grade substitute teacher and a mother’s struggle with cancer opens the door to Maureen’s commitment to one day donating bone marrow for a stranger’s transplant … right place, right time, strong faith and a fond memory of Mrs. O’Reilly.

He Said: She Said: All Said with Love!

Lewis & Merle Christie

Lewis and his wife, Merle tackled his AML diagnosis together. Read their story of being “recalled to life” more than once by transplants, the support of family, friends, and medical personnel; and their sheer determination that Lewis would survive … period!

Embracing the Suck of Cancer

By: Michael Ansley

Read Mike’s story about how the term he learned in his Navy career, “embracing the suck,” became the mantra that guided his approach to handling GvHD and ultimately defeating leukemia. In the process, he gained perspective on what is truly important: God, Family & Friends … everything else is “just stuff!”

On the Psychological Preparation for Bone Marrow Transplant

By: Roy Proctor

“Deliberately” developing a positive, even “joyful” frame of mind can make all the difference in one’s approach to the experience of cancer. Read about how Roy used these mind-sets to deal with the effects of BMT and how it altered his life.

Cancer Sucks, Death Sucks, and Yet Life Can Still Be OK.

By: Stacey Town

On September 6, 1996, Stacey was “born again” … it was her second birthday. After a year and a half, her AML had returned. Discover how she courageously tackled multiple set-backs on her way to a bone marrow transplant that saved her life.

Moving Cancer to the Back Burner

By: Laura Weinger Housley

“I can’t wait to be on your side of the fence.” Laura was speaking with an AAL survivor. A relapse a year after her initial diagnosis and treatment, a bone marrow transplant was recommended. Today, she is a committed volunteer, helping other cancer survivors. Learn how giving back is its own reward.

The Strength of Our Anchors

“Blood Brothers” Clint Weaver (left) was the matched unrelated donor for Rob Minton

By: Rob Minton

No one makes the transplant journey alone. Rob’s experience began with his closest companion, his wife Sharon. Other “anchors” who accompanied him on his multi-year trip that began in 2012 included doctors, nurses, medical technicians, friends and family members who kept home fires burning during his and Sharon’s long absences. Read their story and about Rob’s “blood brother” donor, Clint.

Finding Hope

By: Barry Stebbing

An extraordinary caregiver, Barry Stebbing wasn’t afraid to ask for help and it sure paid off.

James Bond Cycles On!

By: James Bond

James Bond keeps moving and grooving, showing cancer who’s boss. You won’t soon forget this fella.

Jennifer Nsenkyire

For this new U. S. resident who emigrated from South Africa, a bone marrow transplant unexpectedly cured two non-cancer diseases – Sickle Cell Disease and Multiple Sclerosis – and freed her from a lifetime of pain.

Jordan Segal

The unexpected gratification for a young stem cell donor leaves a lasting impression on this young man.

A nbmtLINK Salute to Caregivers

Salute to Caregivers

Caregiving is not a “sprint” … more often than not, it becomes a “marathon.” The “runner” or caregiver needs support too. Read about the LINK’s salute and its resource publication that provides that support to these unsung heroes.

Taking Time to Smell the Flowers

By: Rhonda Jokot

The positive connotation of the expression, “take time to smell the flowers” takes on special meaning for Rhonda: for her it means a “new normal,” her “second birthday,” a major fund raiser for Gateway for Cancer Research, and valued relationships with the LINK. You’ll feel good when you read her story.

Recalled to Life

Merle and Lew Christie

By: Lewis J. Christie

Discover how the main character in Charles Dickens’ “Tale of Two Cities” describes Lewis’s “recall to life,” which can apply to most who experience a blood marrow transplant and its multiple challenges at every interval of its process. Lewis learned he has plenty of company.

Thankful and Thriving — Yes, you can do it!

Cathy and Glen Morris

By: Cathy Morris

Cathy doesn’t mean to spoil the ending of her story, but take time to learn how she and her husband, Glen knew “everything will be OK.” Bumps, challenges, fear were there to be sure; but one year post-transplant she is “thankful and thriving.” Her story has a happy ending.

Meet Faith: Making a Donor Difference in All That She Does!

Faith Metzinger

By: Faith Metzinger

Faith’s personal experience as a donor “match” for a three-year-old boy with leukemia has, in her words, “changed me in so many ways.” It also was the impetus for her to lead a bone marrow drive in her town in the child’s honor. That was nine bone marrow drives ago.