I knew something was terribly wrong.
Sandy Nilson, of Brockton, knows what it's like to wait and to hope. She is 38-years-old and says she's lucky to be alive after battling a life-threatening disease. In October of 1997, Sandy went for a flu shot and became really ill afterward. She was tired all the time and couldn't figure out why. In addition, she had a recurring sinus infection that just wouldn't go away with antibiotics. Several months went by.

In April 1998, after red dots began appearing on her arms, thighs and stomach, Sandy's doctor gave her a blood test and put a sample directly under a microscope. "My platelet count was two," Sandy says. "I saw the look on people's faces and I knew something was terribly wrong."

I was transfusion dependent the whole time.
Her doctor immediately sent her to the hematology/oncology unit at a local hospital. At first, physicians thought Sandy had severe aplastic anemia, but the treatment they were giving her didn't seem to be working. When they tested her further, they discovered Sandy was suffering from myelodysplasia, one type of leukemia. Sandy's physicians told her she would need a bone marrow transplant. "I was transfusion dependent the whole time," she says. "There is nothing in this world of health care that can substitute for what the human body makes. Blood products were truly life-sustaining for me."

The medical professionals are still in need of blood products.
Every day, men, women and children just like Sandy are diagnosed with various types of cancer and leukemia. Their treatment, like Sandy's, may include transfusions of blood and blood products like platelets. Donors with all blood types are needed to make those platelets, which are a fragile component of blood made from whole blood donations. Platelets have a short life-span of just five days. "People think the medical world can do it all nowadays. It's not true. The medical professionals are still in need of blood products. In fact, it's an increasing need. It's like gold, because it can't be manufactured."

Each year, thousands of patients with fatal blood diseases search the National Marrow Donor Registry to find a marrow donor. Only 30% of those who need a marrow transplant will find a matched donor within their families. The rest must search for an unrelated donor, a stranger who is willing to give a part of him/herself to help someone they've never met.

Blood products kept me alive. . .
Sandy is one of 30,000 men, women and children who are diagnosed each year with a life-threatening illness such as leukemia. For many of these patients, a bone marrow transplant is the only hope for a cure. "My story is not the toughest one people have been through by a long shot. But I was transfusion dependent every Monday for a year or more. Blood products kept me alive when I had no way of doing it myself. They got me through my transplant and let me live long enough until the transplant could be given."

Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
Fortunately, Sandy's brother was a perfect match, and she was able to have a bone marrow transplant on May 5, 2000. "I had my first haircut recently since the transplant. I don't know how to thank all of the people who helped me during that time. You really did sustain my life for a long period. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart."

Patient Stories