Leukemia Patient Receives a New Cance at Life

Ten year old Kyle Dean Smith has been fighting Acute Myeloid Monocytic Leukemia since January 10, 2009. Community support for this brave boy has been amazing.

Today, as this is being written, (May 12, 2009) he is receiving his bone marrow transplant. The proceedure is a transfusion of bone marrow cells mixed with saline or blood depending on ptient preference, and is given through the patient's central line like all his other medicines and fluids. The transplant takes place over period of an hour and a half.

With this transplant, Smith is geting another chance at life. For the first two weeks, visitors may only see him throug a window and very strict precautions will be in place so as to ensure that no infection can be passed to him. This is because he has a new immune system and must receive all immunizations again, etc. It will be 4 to 6 months before he can leave the hospital and two years before danger of rejection is past.

This transplant gives renewed hope to the family and friends of Kyle Dean Smith since without it he would surely have died. Today, he is receiving life. May it take!