Wednesday May 23, 2001
STEM CELL TREATMENT WITH CORD BLOOD LOOKS SUCCESSFUL
TORONTO, May 23, 2001 (LSN.ca) - Jesse Farquharson, the first patient in Canada to undergo stem cell treatment with stem cells extracted from his own umbilical cord blood, has been released from hospital in half the expected time. Jesse, now 11 months old received the stem cell transplant April 19 and doctors at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children told his parents he would likely spend two months in hospital recovering. However, due to his rapid recovery he was released from hospital May 18.
The National Post reports that the Bolton, Ont., boy was four months old when he was diagnosed with bilateral retinoblastoma, or malignant tumours in both eyes, a usually fatal condition when the cancer spreads. However, although the cancer spread, he was given extensive chemotherapy to arrest the cancer. The stem cells help to restore the child's bone marrow depleted by the bouts of chemotherapy.
Jesse has gained five pounds and is growing new eyebrows and eyelashes to replace those lost during chemotherapy. He is expected to be on penicillin for up to a year and must check in with doctors at a bone-marrow transplant clinic every week. Doctors stressed that thanks to the cord blood transplant his blood stem cells were a perfect match and thus the trouble associated with finding a donor and need for anti-rejection medication were eliminated.
For information on the Toronto and International programs for storing cord blood see:
http://www.sickkids.on.ca/FetalCentre/TorontoCordBloodProgram.asp
http://www.marrow.org/NMDP/non_nmdp_cord_blood_banks.html
See Jesse's website which includes photos at: http://www.helpjesse.com
See the National Post coverage at:
http://www.nationalpost.com/home/story.html?f=/stories/20010523/570642.html
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