13 years after cord blood stem cell transplant – Dominica’s story

What was the diagnosis of the disease?

Dominica’s disease was initially misdiagnosed. Doctors treated the girl for a long time for thrombocytopenia. Unfortunately, as it later turned out, the diagnosis was different. Dominika suffered from Fanconi anemia – a form of congenital anemia.

Course of treatment

The only salvation for the girl was a stem cell transplant from the bone marrow.

Due to the genetic basis of the disease, Dominica’s parents were excluded as potential bone marrow donors. A compatible donor in the registry, despite many years, was also not found.

During her second pregnancy, it turned out that Dominica’s younger brother Kacper could be the donor. The parents decided to collect his umbilical cord blood during delivery, which contains hematopoietic stem cells. Dominika underwent a combined donation in 2011 – stem cells from her bone marrow and her little brother’s cord blood.

Effects of stem cell transplantation

Thanks to effective treatment, Dominica was able to recover quickly and return to her former life and friends.

Our story is a good example of how once it was only the 5th stem cell transplant in Poland, it was practically a lifesaver for us, the only chance for our daughter to be cured, ” recalls Mrs. Dorota, Dominica’s mother.

As Dominika emphasizes – I believe that cord blood banking is worth taking advantage of by looking at its potential, not by the number of uses.