Click here for basic information about Fanconi Anemia.

​

Information about bone marrow transplants:

​

Healthy marrow and blood cells are needed to live. When disease affects marrow so that it cannot function properly, a marrow or cord blood transplant could be the best treatment option, and for some patients, offers the only potential cure.

​

A bone marrow transplant takes a donor’s healthy blood-forming cells and puts them into the patient’s bloodstream, where they begin to grow and make healthy red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Patients receive high doses of chemotherapy (a particularly sensitive process for those with FA) to prepare their body for the transplant. Then on transplant day, the patient receives the donated cells in a process that is like getting blood or medicine through an intravenous (IV) catheter, or tube.

​

Bone marrow cells can be donated from someone else – either from an adult donor or a cord blood unit stored for public use. 

​

Seventy percent of patients do not have a fully matched donor in their family (this is true for Norah). So, their doctor will turn to Be The Match for help finding an unrelated donor or cord blood unit on the Be The Match Registry. More people are needed to join the registry so patients have a greater chance of finding a match.

​

Click here to learn more about Be the Match and the donor process.