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When Mark Gotell learned his sister, Anne Peters, needed a stem cell transplant to help treat her most recent bout with cancer, he didn’t hesitate to offer himself as a potential donor. Neither did his four siblings.
“I can’t imagine anyone not wanting to do this for their family,” Mr Gotell, a lifelong Georgetown resident, said. “I’d do it for any one of my siblings.”
All five siblings - three brothers and two sisters - were tested for their compatibility in treating their sister’s incurable but treatable cancer. Amazingly, two of them were revealed to be perfect candidates, something almost unheard of.
“My brother, John, and me were both a match. The oldest and the youngest in the family, so it was just a matter of who would win the lottery,” Mr Gotell said with a cheerful laugh, evidence of his positive attitude about the upcoming procedure Mrs Peters’ doctors selected him for.
On August 17, he will head to Halifax’s Victoria General Hospital for a series of four injections over four days to prepare him for the transplant process.
“It’ll basically make my bones produce more marrow which will produce more stem cells,” he said.
Stem cells are found in bone marrow, the spongy center of certain bones. There, they divide to make new blood cells. Once blood cells are mature, they exit the marrow and enter the bloodstream.
Stem cell transplants restore the stem cells when the bone marrow has been destroyed by disease, chemotherapy, or radiation.
“It’s basically like dialysis. They take my blood out of one arm, then it goes through a machine that filters the stem cells out, then they pump it back into my other arm,” Mr Gotell said. “I didn’t ask too many questions because it’s a bit overwhelming, trying to grasp and understand it all.”
Mrs Peters, who has faced three separate battles with follicular non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma since 2008, said the transplant will help rebuild her immune system. Prior to the transplant, she’ll receive an aggressive round of chemo that will ideally kill off all remaining cancer cells, effectively depleting her immune system. That’s when she’ll receive a transfusion of her brother’s healthy stem cells.
“Mark is going to give me a second life, a new immune system,” Mrs Peters said, adding that following the treatment, she’ll have to go into isolation for a couple of weeks and will be required to get all her vaccinations again.
“I’ll be like a newborn baby,” she said with a laugh, sharing her brother’s optimistic outlook.
Although Mrs Peters isn’t sure how long the transplant will increase her lifespan, she’s read some literature on the procedure and is staying positive about the future.
“There are people who have lived 15, 25, 30 years because they’ve had a stem cell treatment,” the 55-year-old Oyster Bed Bridge resident said, “and the research has come so far since then, so why not prolong my life?”
Mr Gotell, who’s 44, is more than happy to help his sister attain that prolonged life. As Georgetown’s fire chief, he knows what it’s like to help people in crisis situations.
“There’s nothing better than helping save a life,” he said, “whether it’s through the fire department or helping your own sister.”
Mrs Peters said she’s grateful for her brother and the gift he’s giving her.
Mrs Peters said she’s grateful for her brother and the gift he’s giving her.
“I could cry just thinking about it. He’s giving me life - to carry on, to be able to look forward to seeing his children getting married, and then them having children. I have such a wonderful family.”
Hearing his sister’s words, Mr Gotell is visibly moved as he wipes a tear from his cheek.
“I’m too blessed to be stressed. I just have so much support,” she added.
Mr Gotell said his sister’s cheery outlook hasn’t swayed through her entire ordeal, and he’s certain it will only serve to help in her recovery following the transplant.
“She’s just so upbeat. She doesn’t dwell on any of it or let it stop her from doing anything.”
Mrs Peters agrees her positive attitude hasn’t changed a bit.
“I always lived all my life believing yesterday’s history, tomorrow’s but a mystery and today is a gift. I just stayed myself and fought what I had to fight.”
Going forward, Mrs Peters said she isn’t afraid to face the unknown and is thankful for the treatment and encouragement available to her.
“My family, my husband’s family and all our friends is just amazing. I’m very gifted.”
Photo: Anne Peters (Gotell) will travel to Halifax next month to undergo a stem cell transplant. Mrs Peter’s brother, Mark Gotell of Georgetown, will donate his stem cells to help his sister battle her third bout of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Submitted photo
First appeared in The Eastern Graphic July 31, 2013
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