How much does a cancer survivor appreciate young and healthy stem cells? There is no measure. Yet, I had to try and express my gratitude to an anonymous person living thousands of miles away. My letter to the donor had to be anonymous. It is posted below. Check out the response from the donor in the next post.
November 7, 2017
To: A Generous Stem Cell Donor
From: A Most Grateful Stem Cell Recipient
You have blessed me. Thank you.
Your generosity and compassion have given me the opportunity to extend my life and to live a better quality of life. Thank you.
Your stem cells arrived on the afternoon of June 14, 2017. They were infused into my body that evening by a top-notch team of exceptional medical professionals. Thank you.
Our tissues were a good match, and there was little rejection. Our blood types were even the same! Thank you.
The transplant was a struggle, but I had few options and my prognosis was grim. I had Myelodysplastic Syndrome, bone marrow cancer, and my God used those stem cells to heal my body. Thank you.
God used those stem cells to complete a good work He had started in me. He let me know that He had more plans for me and that He would extend my time on earth to complete them. Thank you.
Before the MDS diagnosis, I was a runner. I would pound out about 25 miles each week and run in various 10k, 10 mile and half marathon events. Not bad for a 60-year-old husband, father, and grandfather.
MDS slowed me down considerably. Perhaps it was the 91 chemotherapy treatments I endured prior to the stem cell transplant along with the symptoms of bone marrow cancer. A difficult year was capped with the news that the chemotherapy drugs were losing their effectiveness and there were no other options to consider. MDS has no cure. You fight as long and as hard as you can but the cancer eventually progresses and becomes fatal in 3-5 years. I was already one year into the fight and losing the battle.
It wasn’t all bad, though. The year of fighting taught me many lessons about life, love and what’s most important. When your time is short, your perspective changes dramatically. Silly arguments, grudges, personal gain or material acquisitions lose their appeal. Things of this world fade away. Things of the next world become prominent. Things like love, giving, receiving and improving relationships. Helping others becomes much more gratifying than helping yourself. You savor life’s great pleasures like a warm breeze on your face, receiving a smile from a stranger or watching baby ducklings follow their mother across a still pond. What you can do to help brings much more joy than what you can do for fun. That’s what God taught me through my struggle with MDS. We are to live our lives one day at a time. One moment at a time. Tomorrow will bring its own worries.
Now, things are different. Thanks to you, my outlook is brighter. Much brighter. I’ve survived the most difficult and physically grueling challenge of my life. Even today my body hurts. It struggles with weakness and nausea from the transplant and the side effects of a medicine cabinet full of medications. But, I’m happy to report that your healthy stem cells have replaced mine and today I am officially in remission. I am cancer free! Cancer free! The cancerous stem cells are gone. My doctor is weaning me off the anti-rejection medication. As a result, your immune system is becoming stronger and stronger in me. If I continue to heal over the next 18 months and weather any complications or a relapse, a normal life expectancy is possible. I have a chance. A real chance. And, I’m up for the fight. Thank you.
Rest assured. Even if I have all the time in the world, I’m not going to live my life that way. I choose to cling to the lessons I’ve been taught. Life is much better lived one day at a time enjoying every precious moment. You have given me many more of those moments. Know that I will relish every one. Thank you.
Please accept my sincere gratitude for your most generous gift. The gift of life to a complete stranger on the other side of the world.
If you are willing, I’d love to make the trip to see you someday and thank you properly in person.
With much love and respect,
A most appreciative stem cell recipient with much more life to live!