The search for stem cells
October 14, 2010. "Some say
this day represents my 'new birthday,'"
said Fashion Merchandising
student Allison Riley. It was the
day she received her stem cell
transplant.
Riley was born with congenital neutropenia, a rare blood disorder that prevents bone marrow from producing white blood cells. Ultimately it left her with no immune system. "Even a scrape would cause an inflammation and I'd be sent to the hospital for weeks on end," she said. With a lack of white blood cells in their bodies, patients face recurring infections including infections of the sinuses, lungs and liver. Riley developed ulcers in her mouth and inside her body. She was given an injection of prednisone every day to help stimulate her bone marrow and provide her with an immune system.
One-fifth of individuals who suffer from the disease develop leukemia, and unfortunately, at age 19, Riley became a part of that statistic. Prednisone also increases the risk of developing leukemia, which affects the blood-forming tissues in the body.
Typical leukemia patients will undergo chemotherapy and then enter remission. If the cancer returns, they are placed on the waiting list to receive a stem cell transplant. Riley's blood disease placed her on the waiting list immediately. "Because of my condition I couldn't... it would've killed me if I did all those rounds of chemo." Riley did undergo a gradual regime of chemotherapy and radiation in September 2010, but was in desperate need of a stem cell transplant.
Approximately 900 Canadians are currently in need of a stem cell transplant and only about one-third of them will be lucky enough to find a match. Luckily, after seven weeks of waiting, Riley got the call that a match was made. "I think in my head I always knew there was gonna be (a donor), but I was ecstatic ... I'm pretty sure I cried that night," she said. But waiting was one of the most difficult parts of the process. "Seven weeks… for me it felt like a 100 years. You know, every day it's like no match, no match, no match... I'm kinda running out of time here."
Riley added that there are many individuals who are still waiting. "There are lots of people who are in that situation, who are in that time frame and are just looking at their watch and saying, 'My god, I hope tomorrow's the day I find a match.'"
Receiving the transplant saved Riley's life, curing both her leukemia and blood disease. She was blessed with a new immune system and a second chance. Riley said she wants to get into social work to help individuals who are going through the same hardships and challenges that she faced. "I want to take this horrible, negative, worst experience of my life and turn it into something positive. I know it's sort of hard to do, but I want to help other people because I wish there was someone there to help me — I saw a lot of doctors and psychiatrists but never anyone my age."
In celebration of the second anniversary of her transplant, Riley volunteered at the OneMatch clinic held at Fanshawe on October 17. OneMatch donor management coordinator Lilet Raffiñan said the program is designed to get people involved. "The swab event really encourages especially the male donors between the ages of 17 and 35 and hopefully a diverse group as well to come and join the registry and help patients who need stem cell transplants."
When stem cells are donated, they can be taken from bone marrow or peripheral blood. Bone marrow donation does involve a surgical procedure where patients are placed under anesthesia while doctors use a needle to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of the pelvic bone. Many are unaware that you can also undergo peripheral blood stem donation that is pretty painless and much like a typical blood donation. Donors stay in the stem cell centre for about four to six hours. "Once the stem cells are taken out from one arm, they put back the red cells, the plasma, and the white cells into the other arm," explained Raffiñan. "What's being taken is really just the stem cells."
Raffiñan stressed the importance of having more registered donors. "It's crucial for these patients, because these patients only have a 25 per cent chance to find a match within their family, then they rely on unrelated donors and the best chance for these patients to find a match is from their own ethnic background."
Having a large number of stem cell donors in the registry greatly increases the chances of patients finding a match. "When my DNA was tested, they wanted to find a perfect match to reduce any risk of getting denied," said Riley, "If it's 95, they want 100 per cent, so it's really important to get a lot of people aware. I mean, it saved my life. Honestly, if I didn't have it, I wouldn't be here today."
The next blood donor clinic at Fanshawe takes place on November 15. It will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Student Union Alumni Lounge in SC building. For more information about OneMatch, visit tinyurl.com/onematchdonor.
Riley was born with congenital neutropenia, a rare blood disorder that prevents bone marrow from producing white blood cells. Ultimately it left her with no immune system. "Even a scrape would cause an inflammation and I'd be sent to the hospital for weeks on end," she said. With a lack of white blood cells in their bodies, patients face recurring infections including infections of the sinuses, lungs and liver. Riley developed ulcers in her mouth and inside her body. She was given an injection of prednisone every day to help stimulate her bone marrow and provide her with an immune system.
One-fifth of individuals who suffer from the disease develop leukemia, and unfortunately, at age 19, Riley became a part of that statistic. Prednisone also increases the risk of developing leukemia, which affects the blood-forming tissues in the body.
Typical leukemia patients will undergo chemotherapy and then enter remission. If the cancer returns, they are placed on the waiting list to receive a stem cell transplant. Riley's blood disease placed her on the waiting list immediately. "Because of my condition I couldn't... it would've killed me if I did all those rounds of chemo." Riley did undergo a gradual regime of chemotherapy and radiation in September 2010, but was in desperate need of a stem cell transplant.
Approximately 900 Canadians are currently in need of a stem cell transplant and only about one-third of them will be lucky enough to find a match. Luckily, after seven weeks of waiting, Riley got the call that a match was made. "I think in my head I always knew there was gonna be (a donor), but I was ecstatic ... I'm pretty sure I cried that night," she said. But waiting was one of the most difficult parts of the process. "Seven weeks… for me it felt like a 100 years. You know, every day it's like no match, no match, no match... I'm kinda running out of time here."
Riley added that there are many individuals who are still waiting. "There are lots of people who are in that situation, who are in that time frame and are just looking at their watch and saying, 'My god, I hope tomorrow's the day I find a match.'"
Receiving the transplant saved Riley's life, curing both her leukemia and blood disease. She was blessed with a new immune system and a second chance. Riley said she wants to get into social work to help individuals who are going through the same hardships and challenges that she faced. "I want to take this horrible, negative, worst experience of my life and turn it into something positive. I know it's sort of hard to do, but I want to help other people because I wish there was someone there to help me — I saw a lot of doctors and psychiatrists but never anyone my age."
In celebration of the second anniversary of her transplant, Riley volunteered at the OneMatch clinic held at Fanshawe on October 17. OneMatch donor management coordinator Lilet Raffiñan said the program is designed to get people involved. "The swab event really encourages especially the male donors between the ages of 17 and 35 and hopefully a diverse group as well to come and join the registry and help patients who need stem cell transplants."
When stem cells are donated, they can be taken from bone marrow or peripheral blood. Bone marrow donation does involve a surgical procedure where patients are placed under anesthesia while doctors use a needle to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of the pelvic bone. Many are unaware that you can also undergo peripheral blood stem donation that is pretty painless and much like a typical blood donation. Donors stay in the stem cell centre for about four to six hours. "Once the stem cells are taken out from one arm, they put back the red cells, the plasma, and the white cells into the other arm," explained Raffiñan. "What's being taken is really just the stem cells."
Raffiñan stressed the importance of having more registered donors. "It's crucial for these patients, because these patients only have a 25 per cent chance to find a match within their family, then they rely on unrelated donors and the best chance for these patients to find a match is from their own ethnic background."
Having a large number of stem cell donors in the registry greatly increases the chances of patients finding a match. "When my DNA was tested, they wanted to find a perfect match to reduce any risk of getting denied," said Riley, "If it's 95, they want 100 per cent, so it's really important to get a lot of people aware. I mean, it saved my life. Honestly, if I didn't have it, I wouldn't be here today."
The next blood donor clinic at Fanshawe takes place on November 15. It will run from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Student Union Alumni Lounge in SC building. For more information about OneMatch, visit tinyurl.com/onematchdonor.
