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Originally Posted by rebarnmom
How long ago was Aaron diagnosed? And you lost your younger brother to this same type of cancer? How much at risk does that put you? Is stem cell replacement therapy an option for this type of cancer? You being his twin, would you be a candidate to donate stem cells? I used to work in a cancer center years ago and I know how fast spreading T-cell can be, though I'm no expert. My job was in the cancer registry, purely clerical. Well prior to that I did do some work in clinical trials, but that was too close to the patient for me. It takes a special person to work closely with cancer patients and I'm much better with paperwork and computers).
I thank God for his continued improvement! I really can't imagine how hard this is, not only for your brother, but for your whole family (having gone through this once before). Aaron, you and your family are still in my prayers.
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My great grandmother died from T-Cell NHL. My younger brother was (my opionion, mis-) diagnosed with Sarcoidois, so they put him on steroids, which brought out a latent condition of Pulmonary Hypertension. He was a truck driver, and nearly fainted one day in Idaho. My twin (they were team drivers) hauled him back here and he was hospitalized on a Sat, moved to Springfield Mo on Sun, and died on Thurs. This took place two weeks after my grandfather passed away from colon cancer.
It's very likely that I might also have T-Cell, although so far there have been no symptoms. My current line of work doesn't offer health ins, as it's a small family-run business. My last attempt at buying insurance failed due to me having a couple existing heart conditions. A heart murmer (which nearly everyone has this to varying degrees), and pulmonary stenosis, which basically means my heart has to pump a bit harder to supply my lungs with blood, as the vein is narrower than normal. Yet I am some kind of health risk.
My twin was diagnosed with T-Cell (after multiple lab tests) in January. He's had some other chemo, before they used the port. They would have used radiation, but the tumor is about 5-6 inches across, pressing between his heart and lungs. Thankfully, it's not enmeshed in the other organs, just pressing against.
As for stem cells. I'm not sure. I don't know how those work exactly. We are fraternal. Look nothing alike, act nothing alike. Different blood types. So I'm not really sure.
I thank everyone for your support. I just received a text this morning, his BP is 125/74 (YAY), and his pulse Oxygen is 90, which is very good news. (YAY) His heart rate is 153, too high, but they had just been working on him, so it's most-likely stress-related. His liver is the main thing at the moment it is not functioning very well. this keeps him from being able to receive Tylenol for his fever.
I informed my mother of this thread, and she wanted me to convey her heartfelt thanks to everyone. This goes double for me.
gw