 Dr. Anh Nguyen Reiss is a 43 year old mother, a doctor, and a Vietnamese immigrant who was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) in February 2009.
Anh's only cure is a stem cell transplant. MDS is a disease of the bone marrow stem cell very similar to acute leukemia. It causes the bone marrow to produce ineffective red and white blood cells and platelets. Approximately 1/3 of patients with MDS progress to acute myeloid leukemia (AML) within months to a few years. But MDS patients also face other life-threatening dangers, such as a weak immune system and internal bleeding and hemorrhaging. Anh has been undergoing chemotherapy and regular blood transfusions to stabilize her red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets levels , but she is in a race to find a matching Asian or Vietnamese stem cell donor.
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Darshana: With lot of support from my husband and my parents, I was ready to donate my marrow. One early morning, I went to the City of Hope to have the procedure. I was given general anesthesia and a small amount of marrow was extracted from my pelvic bone. I was sent home the next day and my marrow was sent to the waiting patient--a nine-year-old girl. She is a teenager now!