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Heidi Tweten writes:
Hello. I’m Heidi and the only reason
I’m able to write to you is because I was saved by a cord
blood transplant.
When I was 10 months old, I was diagnosed
with Diamond Blackfan Anemia. With that disorder no red blood cells
are made, so monthly transfusions were necessary. The only cure
of that disease was a bone marrow transplant. For a bone marrow
transplant a “good match” is needed or the risk is too
great. The risks are rejection of the marrow and graft vs host disease,
where the organs can fail. Since no one in my family was considered
a “good match," I had monthly transfusions until I was
2O years old.
By the time I was 20, I had made antibodies
against the donated blood and my quality of life had greatly decreased.
Even though I was then being transfused every two weeks, I was still
tired most of the time. Since I was unable to keep up with my school
work, I had to withdraw from college. Looking for other options
was becoming necessary.
That is when my mom read about cord blood transplants. With a cord
blood transplant, the blood is collected from the umbilical cord
of a newborn and used for transplant. There’s no risk to the baby and a new life
can be given to others. When we learned that the risk of graft vs
host disease is greatly decreased with a cord blood transplant,
I jumped for the offer.
Nine years ago I had my transplant and
I now live a normal life. At the time of transplant I had minimal
graft vs host disease, which is now completely resolved. I’ve
been off anti-rejection medications for years and all my blood
counts are normal.
Since transplant I’ve had a busy
life. I graduated from nursing school, got married, and adopted
a wonderful baby boy. None of that would have been possible without
God’s help, a little girl who is now more than nine years old, and
her generous parents.
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