"It's in the blood"

It was five years ago today Emma had a bone marrow transplant - December 19th, 2001.

Emma was suffering a rare illness called Aplastic Anemia – a bone marrow disease. Mike was the perfect match bone marrow donor. Parents are very seldom a perfect bone marrow match (over one in several million). So Emma and Mike share something extra extra special.

Five years ago the day started in early morning at Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto with Mike getting 700 ml of blood harvested from the hip bones. 300 ml was used for the transplant, an additional 300 ml was set aside (in case a repeat transplant was needed) and 100 ml was taken for research.

The blood was then prepped and placed into a package so that Emma could receive it through a transfusion. The transfusion was done in an ultra clean isolation room at Sick Kids Hospital (8th floor). Emma referred to the transplant as “Daddy’s Medicine”. Mike remained in the hospital overnight while Emma would remain in isolation until New Year’s Eve. The two weeks in isolation were very difficult times for us and we tracked Emma’s blood numbers each day. She would get a sample taken in the morning and again in the afternoon. We’ll never forget the day when her white blood cells kicked in. She would be in and out of hospital for a few months more after the transplant.

The photo above is Mike and Emma a few weeks after the transplant (watching the Olympics).

The photo below showing one of those days that Emma was out of the hospital for a few hours.

As you can see from our Wadd Squad posts Emma is a healthy and energetic girl. Emma likes to run, orienteer, paddle, play soccer and more - just like her Daddy. Like our good friend Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky says "in this case it REALLY IS in the blood".

Yes, we were fortunate that Mike was a perfect match but many families aren't nearly as lucky.

For information on Canada's bone marrow registry click here. Register today.

To donate to MAC KIDS (McMaster Children's Hospital) click here.

Thank you to our family and friends that helped us get through this very difficult time five years ago.