Renata Has Faith

Late last year, Renata was suffering from shortness of breath.  After multiple visits with doctors and specialists, she was unexpectedly diagnosed with a lymphoma that had formed in her chest and attacked the bone marrow.  It quickly developed into leukemia. She has been told that even with chemo treatments to fight the cancer in her blood, a bone marrow transplant will be necessary to ensure her survival.  After multiple treatments and two hospitalizations in the short timespan since she has been diagnosed, she has been forced to quit her job and live a remarkably different lifestyle.

Before she got sick, Renata and Danilo enjoyed dancing and going to the beach on weekends.  Although she misses work and her Zumba class, she has never lost faith that she will overcome this disease.

Renata’s faith is overwhelming.  Early in the search, they found three matching donors.  Unfortunately, none of them were ready to make the commitment to donate.  Renata insists that she has the support of God, friends and family, and a matching donor will come through.

While we certainly hope that everyone who registers is able to stay committed if they ever receive the call, it is important to recognize that the vast majority of bone marrow patients require a non-surgical process called peripheral blood stem cell donation (PBSC).

A PBSC bone marrow transplant requires a donor to take injections of filgrastim over the course of 5 days, which increases the number of blood forming cells in your blood stream.  On the day of donation, your blood is removed through a needle in one arm, passed into a machine that separates the blood forming cells that your body has produced, and then your blood is returned back into your body through the other arm.

The process is relatively simple.

Please consider registering to become a potential bone marrow donor for Renata and the many other patients who are looking for a match.