For a Woman of Faith, Mixed-Match Bone Marrow Transplant Is an Answer to Prayers — and a Result of Research

In September 2017, Debra was busy. A social worker with the state of Delaware, she was running a unit within her department, active in alumni and community organizations, and living a full life with her husband and three adult children. So, it wasn’t too alarming when she started to feel a bit tired. But then the fatigue got extreme: “I’d walk down the hall and feel winded.”

A few days before she was to leave for a conference in Florida, Debra visited a walk-in clinic, thinking she might get a prescription and travel as planned. But after taking blood samples, the doctor told Debra that she was seriously ill — saying the results showed low counts for her blood cells and platelets. An ambulance was called to take her to the hospital immediately.

A few days later and after a flurry of additional blood tests, Debra received a diagnosis of severe aplastic anemia, a rare and serious disorder in which the bone marrow does not make enough red blood cells, which transport oxygen through the body, white blood cells, which fight infections, and platelets, which are crucial for clotting. Her medical treatment began with blood transfusions and immunosuppressants, along with the use of eltrombopag, which increases the production of platelets. While there was initial improvement, by early 2019 Debra’s blood levels were showing signs of trouble. A bone marrow biopsy confirmed that she had relapsed. After discussions with her doctor and family, Debra opted for a bone marrow transplant, which involves infusing healthy blood-forming stem cells to replace diseased bone marrow.

Moving forward with a transplant had its own challenges. An unrelated surgery and recovery delayed things, and the search for a donor was daunting. (Debra was adopted as an infant and had no biological siblings that she knew of, and her antibodies against her adult children’s antigens ruled them out as possible donors. Individuals of color have less success in finding non-biological matching donors.)

A mixed-match unrelated donor (a female from Germany) was identified, and in May 2020, Debra had her bone marrow transplant at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore, where she spent the subsequent three months getting her post-transplant treatment. She went home two days before her birthday in late July, fighting her way through a long recovery marked by nausea, fatigue, and other health challenges.

Debra, who is doing well today, attributes her success with the transplant to prayer and the research that preceded her case. The National Institutes of Health has long been a leader in funding research into bone marrow transplants, including those involving mixed-matched donors.

“The science around transplant itself, the understanding of genetics, all these things and more led to me having the option to receive a transplant, especially when the immunosuppressant therapy route failed,” she said. “My prayers for recovery were answered. I’m a recipient of that science and the work of skilled trained medical professionals. I’m five years post-transplant because people did work years before I arrived.”