Late last night, doctors got the results back of Ty’s bone marrow cultures and met with Ron and me. Tyler has a subtype of AML that is associated with very poor prognosis if a bone marrow donor can’t be found.
Even after a successful bone marrow transplant, the relapse rate is very high. Ron and I spoke with Ty last night, and his team of doctors spoke with him this morning. We think he has a good understanding of this new development.
I hope everyone can ramp their praying up now to a complete healing. A lot has to come together for his treatment to progress.
His first course of chemo (today is day 3) must kill off enough blasts (leukemia cells) to start him in remission. After the 3rd cycle of chemo, he must have zero or very few blasts left in order to qualify for the bone marrow transplant.
Tyler does not have a full sibling, so will be dependent on a donor. Please pray for the right match! They will begin looking now.
Many have asked if they can donate bone marrow. The docs encourage this, but stressed that realistically, it wouldn’t benefit Tyler directly. Being a donor could certainly benefit another person, even years down the road. Joining the registry just involves a cheek swab, but if you were ever contacted as a match for someone, the doctors want you to know that it would be a very involved procedure. The registry website is http://www.bethematch.org/Join/Join_the_Registry.aspx
If a positive attitude can beat cancer, Ty is well on his way to a cure. He is an inspiration to his mom and dad, his family, his friends, and the staff here.
Thank you all for your love and prayers!