Survivor Stories - AADP.org - The Asian American Donor Program

Monica

Monica is a loving mother, daughter, wife and teacher. She was diagnosed with acute leukemia after a routine pregnancy blood test, which confirmed she was 10 weeks along. After 7 years of trying, she and her husband were devastated to learn that their dream of adding on to their family was shattered. Monica’s cancer was extremely aggressive. She underwent intense chemotherapy and doctors told her she needed a bone marrow transplant for a chance at survival. Monica is half Korean and half Caucasian, her two siblings were not a match. Despite the odds of finding a compatible Korean or mixed donor, her family and friends never gave up. Monica was able to find a match and underwent a transplant in Fall 2012. She is recovering well. You can share words of support on her road to reovery by visiting Operation: Save Monica, here.

Jeremy

Jeremy is a precocious little boy, always curious and eager to share new things that he’s learned or discovered. In June 2012, Jeremy was abruptly diagnosed (at age 2) with a rare subtype of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML).
Since diagnosis, Jeremy has endured innumerable needle pokes for blood draws, multiple bone marrow biopsies/aspirates, a surgical procedure to place a central line, and rounds of chemotherapy. Through it all he showed remarkable strength and resilience. Jeremy has touched many with his beautiful heart and vibrant spirit. Since Jeremy is Chinese his matching donor would likely be from an individual who is also Chinese or Asian descent. After months of undergoing medication and procedures, and searching high and low for a donor, Jeremy found a match and underwent a transplant. He is recovering well! In a most recent Facebook update from the family about Jeremy’s post-transplant, “Despite persistent nausea and some belly pain, Jeremy is doing well overall!”, “We’re be grateful for your prayers and +++ energy. Thanks!” Jeremy Needs You

Kurt

Kurt, 16, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) last November. He endured four harsh rounds of chemotherapy and experienced hair loss, mouth sores, muscle atrophy, and extensive fatigue. He fought his cancer into remission in mid-May. Unfortunately, he relapsed and his brother is not a match. Kurt is Chinese, which made his search for a compatible donor much more challenging. His continuous battle with leukemia and support from family and friends, Kurt found a donor and underwent a transplant. He is reportedly progressing with his health and recovering as expected. You can send you words of encouragement and prayers to Kurt, here

Timothy

Timothy, was diagnosed with CGD (chronic granulomatous disease) at 2 months of age. CGD is a rare primary immunodeficiency disease. Which means Timothy is unable to fight off common everyday infections on his own. The only cure for this disease is a bone marrow or cord blood transplant. After a few years of struggle, unless support and prayers from family and friends, Timothy found a match! Timothy is on his way to full recovery! You can follow Timothy and his family’s post BMT journey, here.

Ryan

Ryan, 27 year old Filipino from San Jose, CA. He was diagnosed with AML and needed a marrow/stem cell transplant. Ryan’s greatest chance of finding a donor was from someone who is also all or part Filipino. Unfortunately, no one from his immediate family matched. With the help and devoted efforts from his family, friends, and community “Operation: Save Ryan” was established and the search for his life saving donor began. Ryan found a donor and underwent a transplant in Summer 2012. He is currently recovering well! Here’s a little bio about Ryan: Ryan is all about putting others before himself, he has focused his time and energy to giving back and helping the community. He worked several years as an Intervention Specialist and assisting with children with disabilities. He also devoted his love and time to EMQ Family First as a Big Brother for 6 years. Please take a few minutes of your time learn more how you can help save a life and register as a marrow/stem cell donor.

Kethan

Kethan Kumar was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in 2006 at the age of 4. He underwent 3 years and 2 months of chemotherapy, but unfortunately relapsed 6 months later. He had to endure 2 more years of more intense chemotherapy. Sadly, the more intense chemo could not get rid of his leukemia. 2 months after completing his 2nd round of treatment, he relapsed again in May of 2012. Kethan needed to find a bone marrow match! Kethan received a transplant and currently recovering from his transplant near Houston. His most recent news to us was his blood counts were at total rebirth! As a precaution, he is still isolated from the outside world to minimize any exposure to germs and possible infections. We are wishing him well and a speedy recovery!

Connor

In May 2009 Connor was diagnosed with X-linked Hyper IGM, a rare immunodeficiency that causes patients to succumb to liver cirrhosis or lung infection at an early age. Connor never complained about the monthly blood transfusions , stomach aches and other infections he’s had since he was born. Because of Connor’s ethnicity, Korean, his search for a donor was challenging. After years of waiting for a matching donor, Connor underwent a transplant. He is doing very well! Learn more about Connor: savingconnor.com/

Kyle

Kyle, 4, was diagnosed with aplastic anemia and searching for a marrow donor. He is half Chinese and half Caucasian, making his search for a match challenging.Kyle is a beautiful soul who has much more to give to this world. Register as a marrow donor today for Kyle and other patients searching for their life-saving match.
To find out more about Kyle and Kyle’s Campaign fundraising page for AADP click, here.
Please visit Kyle Needs Youfor more information and updates on Kyle.UPDATE: 05/2012 (from Kyle Needs You on Facebook)
We are happy to report that Kyle has continued to improve since the medication began working. The doctor visits are down to just once a week for lab work, and he has not had any transfusions since the beginning of March. Thank you to everyone for your enthusiastic support to help save Kyle, who has now returned to preschool full time!

Jack

Jack, 23, was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia in July 2011. He desperately needed a bone marrow transplant to survive. After months of searching, Jack found an unrelated donor. He received his transplant in Spring 2012. He is recovering well. Stay up-to-date on Jack’s Facebook page, Save Jack from Leukemia, Facebook

Sameer

Sameer is an 8 year child of Indian origin from the Fiji Islands. He was diagnosed with leukemia, ALL, at age 2½ and spent 4 years in remission. Sameer has relapsed and his family reached out to the community to search for Sameer’s marrow match, the person who could help save Sameer once and for all. We are happy to report that Sameer underwent a transplant in May 2012 and is recovering well. #letssavesameer

Vicky

Vicky is a smart, outgoing, independent 12 year old from the bay area. Vicky was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) in November 2011. Her ethnicity makeup is Vietnamese and Chinese, which made her search a little more challenging. After months of searching near and far for her life-saving match, Vicky found a donor and received her transplant in early 2012. She is currently doing well and recovering nicely post-transplant and treatments.

Amit

Amit is a 32 year-old startup tech entrepreneur diagnosed with leukemia and searching for a marrow donor that could help save his life. His family and friends have tapped into the social media to encourage people to register as marrow donor. http://www.amitguptaneedsyou.com #iswabbedforamit

Lori

Lori, 41 years old, is a single mother of 3 and an ICU Nurse. She was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) on July 2011. She needs a bone marrow transplant from an unrelated donor to fully recover from this disease. Her only sibling (sister) was not a match. Lori is of Filipino and Chinese descent, and ethnicity is a key factor in determining a donor match. Please help bring hope to patients like Lori and others with life-threatening disease who are waiting for a life saving bone marrow match. Please join the bone marrow registry. A little of your time can be a lifetime to another.

Victor

Victor is 11 years old. He lost his mother to cancer when he was 7 and is being raised by his grandparents since.
Victor was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and Victor’s only sister does not match him.
Recently, Victor underwent a cord blood transplant in July 2011 and now recovering. We wish him all the best during his recovery phase.

Chris

Chris, 19, was diagnosed with Severe Aplastic Anemia in December 2010. His chances of finding an unrelated donor is complicated because he is of Japanese and Caucasian background.
After continuous rounds of blood transfusion and daily medication Chris is slowly regaining back to his normal lifestyle. He is reported to be doing well and no longer dependent on daily blood transfusions. He still still encourages others to register as a marrow donor and donate blood.

Nico

Nico was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) at age of six. With help from intense rounds of chemotherapy, Nico was able to reach remission. At age of 9, Nico relapsed and his family began to focus on finding Nico a match. Another round of chemo helped Nico reach remission. Nico, now 12 years old relapsed and he is eager to finally cure his leukemia. His unique background (French and Korean) made his search challenging. Nico had a stem-cell transplant in July 2011. Nico wishes to be cured in his battle with leukemia. We wish him all the best in his recovery.

BHAKTI

Bhakti was diagnosed with a serious blood disorder that could only be cured with a bone marrow transplant from a matching donor. She underwent several treatments and blood transfusions. Currently, Bhakti is showing tremendous signs of improvement from medical treatments and her immune system is responding well. The second opinion from the doctors of Cincinnati Children’s hospital is that Bhakti may not need bone marrow transplant as long as her immune system continues to improve. Bhakti’s family continues to encourage people to register as a marrow donor and hold marrow drives to help others searching for a match.

Viet

Viet is a 36 year old young doctor from the Bay area. She was diagnosed with AML and needed to find a matching donor to have a potentially life saving bone marrow transplant.
Dr. Lam is now recovering from her transplant received in April 2010. She is reported to be dong well, we wish her all the best!

Patrick

Patrick, a bright 14-year old young man from Winnetka, CA had AML. Patrick went through 8 rounds of chemo and it did not help him achieve remission. He urgently needed a matching donor to have a bone marrow transplant that could save his life. Patrick found his a match and underwent a stem cell transplant last year and is doing well. He had some complications at the beginning but he was lucky to get over them and was able to go back to school last September.

Kaili

In January 2010, Kaili, 4 years old, was diagnosed with a life threatening cancer of the blood, MDS leukemia. Kaili’s best chances for survival is a bone marrow transplant. Because of her ethnicity, Vietnamese, doctors expressed the chances of find a match for Kaili was going to be slim.
Kaili was able to find a match and underwent a transplant in the summer of 2010.

Amanda Hipps

Amanda defeated the odds of finding a match and found a cord blood match. She received her transplant in Sept 2010. She is currently in remission. Amanda tells her story, expresses her gratitude for the act of kindness of her donor and how cord blood can help save a life: When I was diagnosed with leukemia I was told I needed a stem cell transplant to live. I was told there was no match for me on the national marrow registry and because ethnicity plays a huge factor when trying to find a bone marrow match the chance of finding a match for me was like finding a needle in a haystack. Because I am half Filipino and half Caucasian I would most likely find a match with someone of Filipino or of Asian descent. Then one day against the odds a cord blood match was found for me. Because of someone’s act of kindness I was given a second chance at life. You can do the same for someone else. Cord blood is donated at the time of a baby’s birth. Donating cord blood is not harmful to the mother or baby. Another way to donate is to join the National Marrow Registry. A simple swab of the mouth is required and you will only be called if you are a match to someone. YOU can be the one to save a life.

Michelle

Michelle is a Filipina from Vallejo, CA. She was diagnosed with leukemia in 2009 and was told a marrow donor would help save her life. Her best chance of finding a donor would be someone also Filipino descent. Her family and friend formed “Team Cranezzy” to help find a match for Michelle and increase the number of Filipino donors on the marrow registry to help save lives patients who are also searching for a marrow donor.
Michelle received a transplant in 2010. She has fully recovered from her transplant and living a healthy normal life.

Anh Reiss

Anh(42) was diagnosed with Myelodysplatic Syndrome in February, 2009. Anh is a mother of two and has been married to her husband Josh for 20 years. Anh is no stranger to difficult situations. – at the age of 9, Anh managed to escape Vietnam War with her parents. Anh has her own medical practice and has delivered countless babies for many families. She is currently doing well.

Maya Chamberlin

UPDATE: Maya is 365++ days post transplant. She is doing really well. She and her family are slowly but surely making transitions to help Maya adjust back to “normal” life. Communication with her donor is now allow and plans are being made to meet in the near future. Visit Maya’s caringbridge frequently for news and updates on her progress.

Christine Pechera

Donating marrow can be as simple as donating blood: a simple, outpatient procedure. It’s the easiest and most profound way to save a life. With no help from anyone but God, once transplanted, your own cells flourish and grow inside the patient’s body and replace his or her sick cells with your healthy ones. It truly is a miracle and a testament to what we, as humans, are capable of.Today I felt the sun on my skin. I walked under a tree and shared a laugh with a friend. I embrace life and thank God everyday that I am alive and have a future to look forward to. All because one person on the other side of the world decided to do the right thing.saffronbutterflyfluttersby.blogspot.com/

KJ Estudillo

Hi, my name is KJ Estudillo, I am 15-years-old. On December 7, 2005, past Day +160, my doctor called and said I passed the important blood tests and I was medically cleared to be a normal kid again. I came back to school and finished my 7th grade.It has been three years post-transplant and I have a great Stanford/Kaiser Santa Clara medical team following up on me. I dance hip hop and have used that gift to dance for benefits or events creating an awareness of Pedicatric Cancer/Blood Disorders and marrow donation. I feel this is my calling.

Melissa Juliano

When I was 9 years old, I was diagnosed with leukemia. Doctors recommended us to seek medical help at MD Anderson Cancer Center in Houston Texas. After many tests, karyotyping, and bone marrow biopsies, I was diagnosed more specifically with acute myeloid leukemia, monosomy 7, prognosis is poor for this particular type of AML – the five year survival rate being 15% and chance of relapse is 78%. The only reason I am here today is because God sent me an angel. Her gift to me has been the most precious gift anybody has ever given to me. Words of gratitude could never encompass my appreciation to her. As I look back to these past 16 years of my life after my transplant and see all of the great things I have been able to do, see and experience, I close my eyes and thank God for my angel and marrow donor, Jeanne Dileo.

Myland Hui

Carolyn and I are still very involved with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Team in Training and the Asian American Donor Program and will always be. These two wonderful organizations have made such an impact in our lives that we are forever grateful.Tis the giving season, so if you haven’t decided who to give to yet…………these two places would be a great place to start…..
Happy Holidays!
LIVESTRONG. BE STRONG!
Aloha & Love,
Myland

Nancy Sakakura

“…I think about this special 23 year old girl in Japan who so generously gave her marrow to a perfect stranger overseas. What an act of kindness and humanity. Unless the international laws change, I shall never be able to thank my donor for saving my life. I think about the tough hospital stay which is quickly becoming a blur to me. I think about how good I feel now and how much I have to be thankful for. I’m sure that I’ll continue on this road to complete recovery. I’m looking forward to the things I want to do in the future. What a difference a year can make.”

Fautino Mendoza

Hi, my name is Fautino Mendoza. It’s been eight years since the bone marrow transplant was done, and today I am in good general health in company of my family, friends, and the miracle of my little baby Aliya Yaretzi Mendoza who is one years old, and of my other daughter Alexia Mendoza whose eight years old.I encourage you to register to donate bone marrow, so that you can help other people who have this terrible disease get cured. If it had not been for the bone marrow transplant, I would not be here today. You can save a Life!