Until March of last year, Ed Dee was a commercial pilot. He’s been grounded by cancer since then.
Ed Dee was diagnosed with Leukemia, and following unsuccessful treatments, doctors opted to perform a stem cell transplant on him.
His brothers proved to not be donor matches, but his sister Jennifer was.
A stem cell transplant introduces new cells that can multiply — producing healthy blood again, but first, the procedure needs to be successful.
Jennifer reports thousands go through the procedure every year, but most cases depend on a match from a stranger.
Doctors say approximately 30 percent of the time patients can find a match within their family. It’s the best possible result as the more similar the DNA between donor and recipient — the higher likelihood the new stem cells will be accepted.
Dee’s stem cell transplant took place on his 54th birthday. The celebration was limited to his hospital room, but there was no better gift than the one his sister had already given him: A chance to cure his Leukemia, and maybe fly again one day.
“How do you thank someone for life?” Dee said.
“My dad always used to say any landing you can walk away from is a good one,” Dee said.
Dee received about 4.5 million stem cells from Jennifer, and after recovering in the hospital the family tells us he’s back home and continuing to improve.
Watch this heartwarming video.
Source: MILWAUKEE (WITI). Foxnow6.com
