Using blood that had been drawn from Jesse’s umbilical cord at birth, doctor’s were able to replace his bone marrow- which had been battered by a dangerously high dose of cancer-fighting chemotherapy. – with the baby’s own healthy stem cells.
John Doyle, the oncologist who performed the April 19 procedure that was a first for the hospital, said it seemed to be a success, so far. Usually there is a delay before a patient’s white cell count rises after the donated bone marrow is transplanted, Dr Doyle said: "But here, where we’ve used Jesse’s own cells, the recovery has been quicker, which we’ve been glad to see."
Jesse’s parents, Lisa and Gary Farquharson, can hardly believe the progress their son has made since the transplant. The toddler was treated to a steady parade of media yesterday, but Jesse’s parents have warmed to the idea of their son becoming a model for the fairly new notion of banking cord blood. "Through Jesse we can give back and educate people; that umbilical cord blood is like gold," Mrs. Farquharson said.
