Watch: Mai Duong’s courageous battle against leukemia
MONTREAL — After just four weeks in isolation, Montrealer Mai Duong was healthy enough to go home a month early.
“I’m still in shock!” she wrote on her Facebook page.
“We got first signs that there was engraftment from my new stem cells from umbilical cord blood. We will have full confirmation in the next few weeks, but it’s looking good.”
After months of fighting a deadly form of leukemia, Duong received stem cells from umbilical cord blood donated by a mother.
“A mom is saving another mom’s life,” Duong said at the time.
READ MORE: Montreal mother finds much needed cord blood donor
“To have that heart to give the umbilical cord, because otherwise it’s going to be tossed in the garbage, she decided to do more and she is going to potentially save my life.”
Duong had been searching for a bone marrow transplant, but the chances of getting a 10 on 10 match were slim.
Her condition is still considered fragile and she said that she will continue to be very weak for another year.
“The 100/120 days following the transplant are the most critical. I have several appointments a week at the hospital in the next few months, since there are risks of infections or complications.”
READ MORE: Vietnamese community rallies to help Montreal mother find bone marrow donor
As for her early return home, Duong said she was especially happy to be with her daughter Alice.
“We got to spend Halloween together despite that I was walking like an old lady behind her. But I was walking.”
She also thanked all of the people who have helped her on her road to recovery and asked people to remember to donate stem cells with Hema Quebec or Canadian Blood Services.
“Remember that there are plenty of sick people (12,000!) like me around the world who did not get media attention, but need to be saved.”
Comments