Eight years ago tomorrow, April 4, I was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. On that day, I begin chemotherapy to slow down the cancer that was in my bone marrow.
I soon learned that I had less than a 20% chance of survival with chemotherapy. If I did a bone marrow blood stem cell transplant, my survival chance would improve to 45%.
After an additional round of chemotherapy and determining that my older sister could be my donor, my wife, Tanya, and I went to Rochester, MN and the Mayo Clinic to start down the path of a bone marrow transplant.
While in Rochester, I lived at the Gift of Life Transplant House. Tanya was my primary caregiver, and I also had both of my older brothers, my younger sister, and my son and daughter-in-law help me.
I was admitted to Methodist Hospital on Saturday, July 31 and begin chemotherapy on 8-1. After this, I received six total body irradiation treatments. All of this was to kill my diseased bone marrow. On Friday, 8-6, I received my sister's blood stem cells. This was similar to receiving blood although not as much volume. The next day I was released from the hospital.
Quite frankly, the treatments to kill the bone marrow are very brutal. People in their sixties or ill people probably would likely not survive. The treatments kill the cells in your mouth and throat making it very difficult to eat for about two weeks. Getting adequate nutrition is a problem during this time.
The leukemia I had left my blood with little to fight infections, and the new blood from my sister's marrow would not be effective against infections for a minimum of six or so weeks. Infections are a major killer of bone marrow transplants during this period.
After this period, the new blood may start attacking blood-rich or rapidly growing organs such as the liver, the colon, or the skin. This attack is called graft versus host disease, GVHD.
I made the 100 day mark which means that you have passed the time when you are unable to adequately fight infections. Unfortunately at about 130 days after transplant, I developed GVHD in my colon. For the next 2-1/2 years, I would struggle with this condition before I finally receive treatment with a drug used for Crohn's disease.
I am now approaching 3,000 days post transplant. I am alive and very health.
I can be contacted kfrist3@gmail.com.
SDG
Fred Rist 4/3/12
