Remember the Day 0 Post when we wrote that Nadia’s blood type would change? After successful transplant it will be the same type as the donor. But actually, it will not just be the same type, it will be the same blood! The point of the bone marrow transplant is to replace the stem cells in Nadia’s bone marrow, which were failing, with stem cells from someone else. So after a successful bone marrow transplant, Nadia’s blood will be the donor’s blood. Same blood type, same DNA, and same gender!
In the field of Genetics, a chimera is a single organism that has genetically distinct cells. So after a bone marrow transplant using stem cells from a different donor, the recipient will be a chimera. They will have all their original DNA in all their organs. But the bone marrow stem cells, and the blood these stem cells create, will be that of the donor. This makes the recipient have two distinct, genetically different, types of cells – a chimera.
Once Nadia’s bone marrow started producing sufficient amounts of blood, they are able to take a sample to run some tests. This is called Chimera Testing (or chimerism testing). More complicated descriptions of the process and limitations are available from Seattle Cancer Center.
After we learned Nadia was in bone marrow failure, she had a platelet count of about 7 since October. Since coming to Children’s Hospital they have been routinely giving Nadia platelet transfusions (Thank You Donors!) roughly every 7 days. We have now gone 16 days without a transfusion and Nadia’s platelets are rising! Today they were 81 and the bottom of the Normal range is 200. Shown below is Nadia’s platelets graph including today’s counts.
If you visit the graphs page, you will see that as of today everything is trending up! And considering Nadia’s platelets are 81 and rising, and her bone marrow was only capable of sustaining a level of 7 before transplant, the platelets alone are highly suggestive that the new stem cells are finally starting to do their work – dance dance dancing a revolution, taking over the bone marrow. The chimera test, which they took a blood sample for two nights ago, will let us know for sure. This test will confirm engraftment. It will take a few weeks to hear the results. But if 44 days in isolation have taught us anything, its patience.
==
Hey BC Children’s Hospital cafeteria, the 90’s called and they want their sign back! (As illustrated with the animated gif, irony intended, of the sign apparently abandoned, yet still plugged in, over a doorway)
Nadia’s morning jog in the isolation room
Nadia Laughing
What Nadia does with her bottle when she’s done with it
