Interview

As part of our project we needed to interview an expert on our topic.  We interviewed Christine's boyfriend (TJ) who is the donor for his sister who has MDS.

The treatments that you used/are using consist of what, or what are they? (Did you have to take different methods than the normal route since people who usually receive this are of an older age)
- Allogenic stem cell transplant.
- In allogenic stem cell transplant the stem cells do not come from the patient, but from a donor whose tissue type closely matches the patient. The donor is often a family member, usually a brother or sister.
- The donor receives a series of growth factor G-CSF shots to increase the stem cell production in their bone marrow.
- Usually the donor receives one shot a day for five days, but due to my age and body mass, they increased it to a double dosage.
- The donor is hooked up to dialysis-type machine on sixth day, in which the blood runs through a centrifuge and separates the stem cells, and returns the rest of the blood to the body.

How does the treatment affect you differerntly since you are younger than the average age of the person that gets this type of cancer? Or did it matter really your age?
- Because of the dosage size of the growth factor, I was at a higher risk for side effects. Abour the third day I started having flu-like aching symptoms and couldn't sleep. This lasted for three days.

How has MDS affected you/your family?
- My mother and sister and niece had to live in St. Louis for the entire 6 months of treatment. My father worked in Independence and was traveling between there, home and St. Louis. I had to house sit for them the entire summer. It was very difficult on us and our relationships.

What all did you/your family go through in the process of finding a cure for your sister?
- I gave blood to the Barnes Jewish Hospital in St. Louis for lab work and I was a 5/5 match to donate so there was no need to look for donors elsewhere.
- My mother and sister had to constantly drive to St. Louis for doctor's appointment

How long did it take for the doctors to diagnose the cancer since it is such a rare form?
- 1-2 months