Dr. Rebekah Fenton (left) and her sister Elisabeth Lucien stay upbeat as they wait to hear whether Fenton is a donor match.
At the age of 17, Dr. Rebekah Fenton’s sister, Elisabeth Lucien, was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma. It rocked her family’s world. When Elisabeth relapsed and faced a second bone marrow transplant, Fenton, now a third-year resident at Seattle Children’s, gave her sister more than just emotional support. Below, Fenton shares her experience as a bone marrow donor.
“If you have to get cancer, this is the one to get.”
That’s what the oncologist said when he told us my sister Elisabeth had Hodgkin Lymphoma.
Stunned by the diagnosis, my parents teared up. My brother Michael and I huddled next to Elisabeth in the hospital bed and bawled. Elisabeth was stoic. She was 17.
We were told that the five-year survival rate is 90%, and we believed those odds, combined with our faith, would help Elisabeth (and us) persevere. Read full post »
