New Video Celebrates Patient’s Recovery from Blood Cancer after Adult Stem Cell Transplant

On Monday, the Charlotte Lozier Institute released a new video which tells the story of 67-year-old Bill Bourland, who was diagnosed with a life-threatening blood cancer called Myelodysplastic Syndromes (MDS). Thanks to his wife’s determination, a fortuitous meeting with a neighbor, a doctor experienced with adult stem cell treatment, and the generosity of his brother, Bill has received a second chance at life with a clean bill of health.

The first sign that Bill had MDS, also called “pre-Leukemia,” was a drastic onset of fatigue. Bill’s wife, Mary, said he would “start laying down in the afternoon and just stay down, for three or four hours or more” – a stark departure from his usual energy level.

A trip to the doctor and a blood test confirmed that Bill had MDS, which means that his bone marrow was not producing healthy red and white blood cells or platelets.

Bill’s doctor recommended that he undergo blood transfusions as a course of treatment. But after six transfusions and not much progress, the Bourlands started seeking other options.

“The next option was chemotherapy treatment once or twice a week, which might not work and the side effects would be very unpleasant,” recalled Bill. “After that, the only other option they offered was what they called palliative care.”

“We knew what that meant,” said Mary. “What they were saying is, ‘There’s nothing we can do for you. You’re going to die.’”

After spending endless hours researching treatment options on her own to no avail, Mary had a chance encounter with new neighbor Tom Nunn that changed everything.

To see how Bill’s story of recovery unfolds, watch the new video here or by clicking below:

Many others like Bill are currently being treated with ethical non-controversial adult stem cell transplants, which do not require the destruction of a human life for the healing of another.

According to a press release on a February 2015 Lancet Haematology study:

HSCT (also known as blood and bone marrow transplant) is most often used to treat diseases of the blood and several types of cancer such as multiple myeloma or leukaemia. For many people with these diseases the only possibility of a cure is to have a HSCT.

In fact, over 1 million patients have already been treated with hematopoietic adult stem cells alone.

As Bill Bourland’s story captures so well, however, many more people could benefit from adult stem cell transplants if they only knew about the possibilities.

The Charlotte Lozier Institute began supporting Stem Cell Research Facts in January, and plans to continue sponsoring inspiring videos like Bill’s to raise awareness about the life-saving, research-based, and ethical option of adult stem cell treatment.