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A North Texas man overcame a dire prognosis and regained his life thanks to a lifesaving transplant from a stranger.
Dallas husband and father Scott Bullock has been cancer-free for more than four years thanks to a bone marrow transplant at Baylor Scott & White’s Sammons Cancer Center.
Texas man waits for stem cell bone marrow transplant
In 2018, Block was battling a rare form of lymphoma and needed an emergency stem cell bone marrow transplant.
Despite the global “Be the Match” registry with 40 million potential donors, it took time to find a donor, let alone find the perfect donor for the block.
Scott Block said, “We had a hard time finding a donor. The cancer I had was very rare, so it was very important that the donor was an almost perfect match.”
Brock’s faith never wavered. “Not only did they say, ‘We found the match,’ but the match was like a 10 out of 10,” he said.
An altruistic donor, a 20-something Denver man, agreed to move forward with efforts that could lead to a successful stem cell transplant in 2019.
It’s just surreal.In other words [you] Start thinking, “I’m acquiring a stranger’s immune system.”
Scott Block, bone marrow stem cell transplant recipient
Brock’s wife, Debbie, was also nearby. “It’s incredible to see that and see it go into his body and give him life again when he was just so sick,” she said.
Advances in bone marrow stem cell transplantation
Baylor Scott & White says its transplant program has been in existence for more than 40 years and its doctors have performed more than 6,000 transplants.
Decades of advances have made previously invasive surgeries more akin to donating blood.
“Fortunately, we can now use a shot to get them into the bloodstream in a progressive manner,” said Dr. Jana Reynolds. “Blood donation is safe, but it requires an injection into the abdomen for several days before donating blood, especially stem cells.”
Hope to inspire patients and potential donors
The Blocks hope to inspire cancer patients and potential donors, especially adults under 40 who have strong cells. Research has shown that the best results come from donors between the ages of 18 and 35.
“Even though there are 40 million people on the registry itself, the chance of a person finding a donor is between 30 and 80 percent,” Reynolds said.
Click here for details bone marrow Donation at BeTheMatch.org
Reynolds said representation is also important. “Because you’re most likely to be matched with someone who is ethnically similar to you or has similar ancestry,” she says.
Celebrate your “second birthday”
Brock hopes his story helps others celebrating their second birthday.
“There’s a new feeling in my life. It’s my birthday. It’s like my second birthday,” Bullock said.
As for the donor, Block has yet to meet the young man.
“Thank you seems so pointless, but it’s more than that. I want to hug that man someday. And I hope to do that one day.”
Bullock’s daughter, who attends college in Oklahoma, rallied to find a match and raise awareness about the simple oral swab required to register for Be the Match. She also raised her $40,000 for this purpose.
