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Since Samantha's type of leukemia is recurrant, even if the chemo kills all the leukemia cells, it will probably come back. So, she needs to have all her cells killed completely and given a new beginning. She will need a bone marrow transplant. The best possible chance is a perfect match. If she cannot get a marrow match, the other choice is a stem cell transplant from the blood from the cord bank (donated umbilical cords).
Getting a bone marrow test is so simple. It is nothing more than a little blood test like you get at a doctor's office. The best thing to do is call your local Red Cross office and find a bone marrow drive. That will be FREE. If there is none convenient, call 1-800-MARROW2. Or, if you give platelets at the Red Cross, you can also get the FREE marrow test. Simply ask for the form for the Bone Marrow Registry. You need to get on the registry since that is where they look for her match. The doctor and Ken & Nancy respectfully request that no test results get faxed or sent to the doctor. There is unfortunately so much redtape with all this matching. Check out these websites for some more info:
National Marrow Donor Program
Bone Marrow Testing
Cathy