Living cancer-free 25 years after bone marrow transplant .
November 19 , 1998 , was the day of Catherine Mester ’ s bone marrow transplant . “ At that time , I never knew anyone who had one . It was a very new thing . They told me that if I got through the next 25 days , I ’ d be well on my way .” Catherine did better than well , and is now celebrating 25 years in remission .
“ She ’ s enjoying life . We ’ re vigilant in caring for long-term survivors like Catherine , and we do that in a very systematic fashion to intervene early if necessary ,” said John Lister , MD , Chief of the Division of Hematology and Cellular Therapy at the AHN Cancer Institute . It all started with a routine eye exam , when Catherine ’ s optometrist suspected there was blood behind her eye . When Catherine came to AHN West Penn Hospital , Richard Shadduck , MD , diagnosed her with acute myeloid leukemia , a cancer of the blood and bone marrow . “ I was so sick and scared to death . I could hardly think . I told them , ‘ Just get me better ,’” she recalls .
Once it was determined that Catherine was a good candidate for bone marrow transplant , her road to getting better started with finding the best donor . “ It was great news that my sister Peg in New York was a perfect match . We met with Dr . Lister , and he explained everything . He ’ s the best ,” Catherine said .
Over two decades later , Catherine is still in remission and enjoying time with her family , especially her husband , two daughters and her three adult grandchildren . And , with advances in bone marrow transplantation , stories like Catherine ’ s are becoming even more commonplace . “ We ’ ve seen an explosion of innovation and we ’ re always advancing . Now we ’ re better able to tailor the therapy to our patients . And the next decade will bring new ways of curing these cancers and increased longevity ,” said Dr . Lister .
EACH YEAR , NEARLY 18,000 PEOPLE IN THE UNITED STATES ARE DIAGNOSED WITH LIFE-THREATENING ILLNESSES WHERE A BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT FROM A RELATED OR UNRELATED MATCHED DONOR IS THEIR BEST TREATMENT . Source : bloodstemcell . hrsa . gov / donor-information
“ I received the best care possible at AHN West Penn Hospital . Every single person was so nice . And I ’ m still in remission , so it was a good story for me .”
Catherine Mester