Bone Marrow Transplant or Not

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Jeannie01
Jeannie01 Member Posts: 1
in Lymphoma (Hodgkin and Non-Hodgkin) #1

My brother has non-hodgkin lymphoma and leukemia.  They want him to have a bone marrow transplant and I am being checked to see if I am a match.  He doesn't think he wants to go thru with it and his wife really wants him to.  I would like to locate some people to either email/talk to him who has walked in his shoes and share their experiences and hopefully success stories.  I told him that he needs to look at the procedure outcomes and talk to people who went thru it before he makes his decision.  He is 63 and I 61 as the donor.  Thank you.

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  • jimwins
    jimwins Member Posts: 2,107
    #2
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    Welcome

    Hi Jeannie and welcome to the site. You'll find wonderfully supportive folks here.  I don't have personal experience with a stem cell transplant but there are many here who do and/or are going through it now. I'm sure you will hear from some of these folks shortly. Since there aren't a lot of details here, I'm assuming your brother has been through chemo and other options and this is what the medical team is recommending at this point.  There are people here who have done well with outcomes from SCT so know there is hope!  Also know you guys are not alone and your brother is welcome here.  We are not medical professionals but we have "walked the walk" and know what this journey is like.  I'm sure others will respond shortly including those with SCT experience.

    I know your brother  is probably afraid right now and this is perfectly normal.  Many here will tell you that it's almost always more "doable" than we expected.  I remember how afraid I was before I started chemo, my surgery and all the procedures I experienced.  I had to simplify my world and take things a day at a time and get through each step and focus on that.  Today, I'm over a year in remission and should my cancer revisit me, SCT is probably my next option.  But for now, I am remaining positive and try to remember to be thankful each day for how I have been blessed. 

    I wish you and your brother and family peace in these tough times and send you warm and positive thoughts.

    Big hugs,

    Jim

  • lianadw
    lianadw Member Posts: 72
    #3
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    Understanding your brother's feelings

    HI Jeannie,

    I can understand your brother's feelings about not wanting to do the BMT, and your advice to him is really good. I have non-hodgkin large b-cell lymphoma, and have been referred for an autologous BMT. I really don't want to do it, but if the docs say I should I will. It's been helpful to me to research the procedure, and to reach out to others who are going through this or been through this. I meet with the doc at the BMT clinic today to get oriented to the treatment.

    I wish you, your brother, his wife, and your family all the best.

    Liana

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