A family from Saco, Maine really understands the incredible healing potential of stem cells. They had one family member who saved the life of someone by donating stem cells and another family member whose life was saved after receiving stem cells.
Mike Desjardins signed up to a stem cell registry in 2007. A year later, his daughter was born with a condition called aplastic anaemia, where the bone marrow does not produce enough healthy red blood cells for the body. It was devastating news, because this condition carries some very serious symptoms including fatigue, irregular heart rate, frequent infections, easy bruising, bleeding gums and prolonged bleeding from cuts.
13-years later, Mike found out his stem cells were needed by a 60-year-old woman with leukaemia. Coincidentally — only one month earlier, daughter Hayley had received a stem cell transplant to treat her anaemia.
As Hayley was receiving stem cells, Mike was thinking about how he had not been called upon to donate his stem cells yet. To be asked to do so one month later was an incredible coincidence. Mike said of the proximity of the two procedures: “It’s very surreal that they happened so close to each other … It’s very rare for you to be a match for a stem cell transplant for someone. You basically have to be almost a genetic twin.”
Hayley received a cord blood stem cell transplant. The young stem cells found in umbilical cord blood are less likely to be rejected by the recipient and it is easier to find a match.
Mike said he was very happy that his stem cells were going to be used: “To tell the truth, it was one of the most exciting days of my life, other than the birth of my children and marrying my wife. I always equate this to the life lottery. I tell people, ‘You’re the one chance for this person. This one person – they’ve exhausted all the other treatments to try and cure their disease and this is it, this is their last chance for life.’ When I signed up, I knew this was a possibility that I would get called upon.”
Source: Family realizes gift of giving and receiving stem cells
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