Blog

By Bonnie Rochman
Reposted with permission from the Fred Hutch News Service

When Rich Hurst was diagnosed with aggressive leukemia, his only hope lay in a stem cell transplant from a stranger thousands of miles away. Selina Rüecker, a young woman in Germany, answered the call, donating her stem cells and giving Rich a second chance. Two years later, the pair met in person for the first time, sharing an emotional reunion that underscored their remarkable connection.

By Beth Ades

Building a race car is our “garage therapy,” where family and friends come together. The 2021 season started with fear, not excitement, as I was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). After months of uncertainty, a 19-year-old stem cell donor saved my life with a perfect match, and I had a successful transplant on February 17, 2022.

Inspired by my journey, we created the Blood Tribute Car, painted red and named O+. This car honors blood donors and my stem cell donor, highlighting the importance of donation.

Mollie Kallen received a life-saving bone marrow transplant in the fall of 2023. Feel the need to be inspired? This blog will offer hope and assurance that you CAN get through it all and thrive. Meet Mollie and know that you are not alone.

By Ron Peperoni, Jr.

I just want to give everyone some hope. I was written off for dead by 40 doctors in 11 months. It was finally the 41st doctor to correctly diagnose me. In those 11 months, I had 266 doctor appointments, labs, scans, etc.

And I never gave up. I went from a healthy 31-year-old weighing 170 lbs. to 110 lbs. Just by luck I landed in my wonderful lymphoma doctor’s hands, and he threw the kitchen sink at me. I then had a bone marrow transplant in March 2012. Then I experienced horrible endless GVHD of the skin. I’ve had both hips and both shoulders, and all of my teeth replaced. My eyes don’t make tears, I had shingles, C. Diff. Colitis—the list goes on. It has been a very crazy 10 years.

By Janet Walsh

Number and Word – neither are significant in and of themselves, right?  At least that is how I looked at them until March 11, 2022 when they took on significance in my life beyond my wildest imagination.

By Lauren Smith

Ten years ago, our youngest son, Gabriel, had a bone marrow transplant due to being born with a rare disease, aplastic anemia. Immediately after he was born, we were flown to St. Louis to get treatment for him. We were blessed to have a 19-year-old donor from Germany. Overall, Gabriel did well with transplant.  A year and a half later, we discovered he had cataracts but otherwise he managed well.

By Lela Prewitt

Those of us who’ve had a stem cell transplant and those who love and care for us are definitely on a road less traveled.  More than 50,000 stem cell transplants take place globally each year.  Just under 5,000 were reported in the US in 2021.  We’re in a bit of an exclusive club.

By Angela Keith

In September of 2019, I was diagnosed with Appendix Cancer, which I have been told is very rare. So, at my six-month checkup in June 2021, I received the news through a medical portal that I had either leukemia or lymphoma. This was not the best way to find out you have cancer. I contacted my local oncologist to obtain additional information. The nurse then told me on the phone that they were meaning to call me about my PET scan results.

By: Jennifer Gillette, LMSW of nbmtLINK

I had the pleasure of chatting with Christine one afternoon after she reached out to us sharing a picture of her sister (BMT donor), daughter and herself sporting their GVHD awareness bracelets with pride. I was intrigued and wanted to learn more about her story as Christine shared that she was a 17-year survivor post-transplant. I am so glad we talked further as I know anyone on this journey would be inspired by her.