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BMT Success Stories

Michael Green

Michael Greene was in 8th grade when he was diagnosed with myelodysplasia, a disorder in which the bone marrow does not function normally. Fewer than 100 children in the United States develop myelodysplasia each year.

The only cure for myelodysplasia is a bone marrow transplant, which Michael received at UM. His mother feared that he would develop Graft-vs-Host Disease (GVHD), a potentially devastating complication of the transplant. But Michael was confident that his transplant would be a success. His mother, Kathy, says: “I tried to

Photo caption: Michael (right) and his brother Alex. The small dog is the dog Michael wanted after the transplant, and the one Dr. Levine said he could have! Her name is BooBoo.

explain to him that this wasn't something he could decide and he told me, in a very determined tone, ‘I AM NOT going to get that disease.’” Whether good fortune or the power of his positive thinking, Michael did not develop GVHD.

Michael is now cured of his myelosdysplasia, with his 5th anniversary coming up in May 2006. He is in college, majoring in Japanese and Asian studies and plans to come to Ann Arbor and get his PhD at the University of Michigan. He hopes to become a college teacher someday.

Kathy says: “I remember the time when we were at the hospital. The nurses there introduced me to a family whose son had a successful transplant and they talked with me and gave so much hope. People need to have hope and hear good things during times like this. I don't remember their names, but I remember the hope they gave me.”

It is now Michael’s turn to be a source of hope and inspiration to others.

 

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