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Des Moines man's stem cell donation saves life of
10-year-old Dubuque boy
The message was simple but poignant.
"To my donor, my hero. Love, Nick."
In those few precious words, inscribed on a plaque,
10-year-old Nicholas Lynn said "thank you" to Kyle
Robertson, 33, for saving his life.
Nick and his parents, Bob and Leigh Ann Lynn of Dubuque,
Iowa, presented the plaque to Robertson at an
emotion-charged Celebrating Life Reunion sponsored by the
Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Program at University of
Iowa Hospitals and Clinics.
Until the reunion, the Lynns had never met Robertson,
although they had communicated anonymously through letters
and small gifts.
Nick's journey began at age 4 when he was diagnosed with
aplastic anemia, a devastating disorder in which the
patient's marrow fails to produce blood cells. His only hope
for survival was to find a marrow donor whose tissue type
matched his own.
Robertson, administrator of Sports Medicine at Mercy
Medical Center in Des Moines, signed up for the National
Marrow Donor Program in December 1998.
"We had a blood and marrow drive and I just signed up,"
he said. "I really didn't think anything of it. About a year
and a half later, I got a call saying I was one of three
people whose tissue type might match a patient who needed a
marrow transplant."
Robertson turned out to the best match, and donated bone
marrow in November 2000; Nick received the transplant
shortly thereafter. Unfortunately, three days before
Christmas, Nick's body rejected the transplant, creating new
anxieties for Nick and his family.
"We were concerned, sure," said Leigh Ann, who had been a
bone marrow donor months before for a patient with chronic
myelogenous leukemia. "But we never really doubted Nick
would find a match. Nick was our strength through this
ordeal. He has a real sense of humor. He was never really
down and, because of him, neither were we."
Despite the first transplant's failure, Fred Goldman,
M.D., director of the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant
Program at UI Hospitals and Clinics, said Nick had another
option. If Robertson were willing to donate a second time,
Nick could undergo a second transplant. This transplant,
like the first, also involved giving chemotherapy and
radiation to destroy Nicks immune system and diseased
marrow. However, the major difference was that instead of
using bone marrow, peripheral blood stem cells would be
obtained from Robertson using a special "pheresis machine".
Robertson happily agreed to the stem cell donation, which
was performed January 3, 2001. When the transplant
succeeded, everyone involved was thrilled.
"I'm overwhelmed," Leigh Ann said. "It's hard to put into
words how I feel."
Robertson said he didn't feel like a hero. "I just felt
it was the right thing to do," he said. "If I can help
someone else out, I will."
Roger Gingrich, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Adult Blood
and Bone Marrow Transplant Program and associate director
for clinical affairs in the Holden Comprehensive Cancer
Center, said the transplant team's goal is to give people
back their normal lives.
"When patients come and stay with us for their
transplants, we see them at their most vulnerable," he said.
"At our reunion, we meet again in the arena of renewed
life."
Physicians seeking consultation or referral to the blood
and marrow transplant programs should call UI
Consult and ask for Dr. Roger Gingrich (adult patients)
or Dr. Fred Goldman (pediatric patients).
Bone marrow donation is rewarding, easy
Roger Gingrich, M.D., Ph.D., director of the Blood and
Bone Marrow Transplant Program, said bone marrow donation is
often mistakenly thought of as difficult and painful.
"It's a 30- 40-minute outpatient procedure that may cause
mild discomfort but that's all," he said. "A donor is out of
the hospital the same day, and usually back to work the
next."
Anyone with questions about bone marrow or stem cell
donation should call Colleen Chapleau, director of the Iowa
Marrow Donor Program, toll-free at 1-800-944-8220, or call
Chapleau directly at 319-356-3337.
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