A 12-year-old St. Albert girl who needs an urgent bone marrow transplant for a rare blood disease has found a match.
“We’re been told to find a match is around one in 14 million as far as being able to find somebody. It’s a very unique thing when you have a match,” Sheldon Pasichnyk, Alex Pasichnyk’s dad, said.
“They’re like snowflakes when it comes to your genetics.”
Prior to June, Alex appeared to be a healthy young girl. But unexpectedly, she was tired all the time and had some unexplained bruising. Her mom brought her for a blood test and the doctor called the same day.
“I got the phone call that she was in a bone marrow crisis and to take her to the Stollery immediately,” Lisa Pasichnyk, said.
Alex was diagnosed with aplastic anaemia PNH clone. Every week, she receives two or three blood transfusions.
“Alex lives on other people’s blood. She doesn’t make any of her own right now,” Lisa said.
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Several bone marrow donor drives were organized to try and find Alex a match. On Wednesday, the family met with the Calgary transplant team and received the life-changing news.
“There’s a very good chance that this person, whoever they are, wherever they are, may have just saved my daughter’s life,” Sheldon said.
The Pasichnyks said the donor is a nine out of ten match.
“To think that someone out there has similar DNA to our daughter… the only perfect DNA would be a twin,” Lisa said. “One in about 14 million people they have to go through to find someone with the same DNA as you.”
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Finding a donor is the first step to a cure for Alex’s disease. Doctors have told the family, there’s a 90 per cent chance the transplant will be successful.
“They’ve also let us know that there’s a five per cent mortality rate,” Sheldon said. “We’re certainly holding on to our 90 per cent success possibility.”
“Nine out of ten and my daughter can go back to a normal life, back to all her activities and school. It’s a cure. It’s a tough road to go down but a big payoff in the end,” Lisa said.
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Lisa said her daughter was in all the meetings with doctors and understands the risk involved with the transplant.
“We have friends that told us that this process is tough but Alex is tougher. So she’s going to get through this,” Lisa said.
“I think she’s scared. I think she’s pretty worried.”
The bone marrow donor process is anonymous. After two years, the family can apply to contact the donor and they can connect if the donor wishes.
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A gofundme account has been set up to help with the family’s expenses.
With files from Su-Ling Goh