Donor–recipient story in allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

Abstract

Patients with a variety of blood, immune, and metabolic disorders may require an allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant as part of their treatment. However, over 70% of these patients do not have a matched sibling donor and require an alternative donor, such as a matched unrelated donor. We present a multi-part story of a Canadian stem cell recipient who underwent transplantation for treatment of refractory chronic myelogenous leukemia, and the matched unrelated donor who saved his life. The story segments feature excerpts from interviews with the donor and the recipient, along with representative images of both storytellers. The excerpts were optimized for publication on social media and were arranged to build a story arc that parallels the journey of the donor and recipient together. This donor-recipient story may serve as a resource to help raise awareness about stem cell donation and to encourage eligible individuals to register as donors. The story is one of several developed by Why We Swab, a library of stories in stem cell donation in Canada (Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram; @WhyWeSwab) to support the recruitment of committed unrelated donors.