[Chad S]

Michele H,
My wife was diagnosed with MDS last February and was put on an immediated path to transplant (she had 18% blasts and was considered high risk). After approximately a month they contacted us with the number of "potential matches." These are people that they will contact for further questions and testing. Many of these people have been in the donor registry for years and they must still be in good health and under a certain age AND agree to further testing which will determine if they are in fact "the match."

We were extremely fortunate, and by late April the transplant department at MD Anderson contacted us with the news that a match had been found. My wife's transplant took place on May 22, 2013, three months to the day after her diagnosis. She is an only child, so there was no chance for a sibling donor and we were completely dependent on a total stranger to make this wonderful donation for her.

I am not sure what is normal, but I am of the impression that my wife's transplant experience from time of diagnosis to transplant was extremely fast. But I do think they will know whether or not they have any potential matches within about a month.

This might be more detail than you need, but it might be worth knowing that my wife has a strong German heritage and is the first generation of her family born in America. And I believe that Germans are very well represented in the donor registry, improving her chances for a match. She had 40 potential matches that was worked down to two 10/10 matches.

She is young, her 40th birthday is in a week and I see your husband is also young. Youth is very favorable to transplant success and my wife is doing very well. I am sure your husband will do just as well and will pray a match is found soon.

Chad