Stranger's Kind Gesture: Leukemia Survivor Marks 25 Years, Anticipates Wedding Ceremony
In the early hours of 5 a.m., a life-changing phone call was made. Chris, a leukemia survivor, dialled his donor, Ed, from Portland, Maine, marking the start of a journey that would lead to his recovery.
Chris's battle with leukemia began at the tender age of 8. After initial treatment, he went into remission, but later relapsed. Despite testing many family members, no one was found to be a match. A bone marrow transplant was his best chance of a cure.
Ed, a stranger at the time, was determined to be a match and donated marrow to Chris. Today, they remain friends, meeting at least once a year, sometimes twice, since their first encounter.
The Wilmot Cancer Institute, part of Strong, has been at the forefront of Chris's treatment and recovery. Over the years, the institute has seen a significant increase and expansion in bone marrow transplants and cellular therapies, particularly in advanced treatments such as CAR T-cell therapy. Since 2016-2017, Wilmot has been a regional and global leader in offering CAR T-cell treatment, one of the most advanced cellular therapies available for aggressive lymphomas and blood cancers.
This expansion includes clinical trials and the development of a Stem Cell Transplant and Cellular Therapy program led by experts such as Dr. Patrick Reagan. Wilmot's decade-long experience in stem cell transplant and cellular therapy facilitates care for complex cases, such as multiple myeloma, where patients undergo stem cell transplants and adjunctive cellular therapies to improve outcomes.
The institute's program emphasises both clinical excellence and research innovation, contributing to the increasing volume and complexity of bone marrow transplants performed. In 2022, the number of transplants at Wilmot Cancer Institute has nearly doubled.
In addition to the increased clinical use of CAR T-cell therapy, Wilmot joined a New York statewide consortium—the Empire State Cellular Therapy Consortium—partnering with other leading centres to improve gene and cellular treatments for cancer. This collaboration aims to accelerate access to innovative therapies, integrate clinical trials, share clinical data, streamline manufacturing, and provide research training opportunities.
Christopher's Challenge, an organisation started by Chris's mother, Kathy, after Chris found his donor, has helped thousands of blood cancer patients at Wilmot, directly or indirectly. During the COVID pandemic, Christopher's Challenge sent meals to the hospital for staff and patients, and donated 20 iPads for patients to use while hospitalised.
Chris, now an adult, has gone to college, held jobs, including working at Paychex for the last six years, met his fiancée, Chelsie, and gotten a dog, Sloane. He credits his care team and his bone marrow donor, Ed, for saving his life. Despite some residual graft-vs-host disease side effects that have impacted his lungs, not in a detrimental way, Chris is living a life full of hope and gratitude.
Ed encourages everyone to join the Be the Match registry to potentially save someone's life, just as he did for Chris. The growth in bone marrow transplants at Wilmot parallels a broader expansion in cellular therapies—especially CAR T-cell treatments—supported by strong clinical programs and collaborative research efforts at state and national levels aimed at advancing cellular and gene therapies for cancer patients.
Read also:
- Crisis in a neighboring nation: immediate cheese withdrawal at Rewe & Co, resulting in two fatalities.
- United Kingdom Christians Voice Opposition to Assisted Dying Legislation
- Democrats are subtly dismantling the Affordable Care Act. Here's the breakdown
- Antisebum skincare products (cream, cleanser, and moisturizer) advocating for self-acceptance and skin confidence.
