To mark the 30-year anniversary of the first blood and bone marrow transplant at UNMC and The Nebraska Medical Center, UNMC Today talked with doctors, patients and staff about the program. This is the second in a series.
We asked:
“What difference has having a transplant made in your life?”
Kipton Krumland and mom, Erin, of Eagle, Neb., answer:
“Kipton having a transplant gave him a second chance at life. Without the transplant I don’t know that he would still be here with us. The chemo wasn’t enough to rid his body of cancer. Every day I look at Kipton I think of his donor, the young woman we hope to someday meet. Kipton’s transplant gives us the hope that he can live a full life and a healthy life. It allowed us to be hopeful for tomorrow!”
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Julie Vose, M.D. |
“What have you learned from your patients about medicine and the field of transplantation?”
Julie Vose, M.D., chief of the division of hematology/oncology and Neumann M. and Mildred E. Harris Professor, answers:
“I am always amazed at the strength and resolve that the patients and families have while going through a very difficult treatment which sometimes means staying a long time away from home. Although we try to make the atmosphere as comfortable as possible, it can never be like home. As health care providers to transplant patients, we need to provide not only the highest quality medical care but also the highest possible personal care.”
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Kim Schmit-Pokorny |
What has it meant to you to be part of the transplant program?
Kim Schmit-Pokorny, manager/case manager, UNMC division of oncology/hematology, answers:
“It has been very exciting for me to have been part of the blood and marrow transplant program since almost the beginning. I am continually impressed with the high level of commitment and expertise from the many team members who have made it into a successful program. I have had the opportunity to work with Anne Kessinger, M.D., as she developed peripheral blood stem cell transplantation. This experience has given me the opportunity to see Phase I research become standard-of-care practice across the world. As I worked with patients undergoing transplant throughout the years, it has been inspiring to see that we really have made a difference in their lives. I am extremely proud to work at UNMC and with the BMT Program!”