I was diagnosed with AML three years ago and underwent 7+3 induction chemotherapy. Because of a specific mutation that increased my relapse risk, my care team recommended an allogeneic stem cell transplant. Between my brother and my 13-year-old daughter, Chloe, my oncologist selected my daughter as the best haploidentical match. Johns Hopkins Hospital pioneered the haploidentical SCT protocol, and I’m grateful to have benefited from their expertise.

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The hardest part of the journey was on Days +1 and +2, when I experienced intense flu-like symptoms driven by cytokine release. I was also afraid of developing severe acute GVHD, but fortunately, it never occurred, largely thanks to JHH’s use of post-transplant Cytoxan, which selectively targets fast-dividing T cells while preserving the slower-dividing ones.

I have two suggestions for anyone facing this process. First, exercise whenever you can. I dragged my lethargic body around the hospital for 3000 steps even on the day of transplant. That is a sure way of not losing too much body mass. Two, become an expert in your disease by poring over literature. I spot an overlooked mutation in a stack of pathology report, alerted my team, prompting a swift change in my treatment regimen.

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Above all, be your own advocate, and stay hopeful.