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Diagnosed with the disease as a toddler, Revée Agyepong was
always down with chronic bone and joint pain, irregular heartbeat,
kidney stones and shortness of breath. Today, 26-year old Revée is
among the first adults in Canada to be cured of sickle cell anemia
with the help of a stem cell transplant.
Two years ago, the Alberta Children’s Hospital in Canada
announced that they have been successful in treating sickle cell
disease in young patients using stem cell transplants. On hearing
the news, Revée, whose health was declining, decided to leverage on
the opportunity but doctors told her she was too old to undergo the
procedure.
According to Alberta Health Services, the older the patient and
donor in bone marrow transplants, the greater the risk of graft
versus host disease, which is a type of immune rejection that can
have serious health repercussions and can even result in death.
But Revée’s older sister, Stephanie started to research other
centers testing the treatment on adult patients, before approaching
Revée’s doctors to share with them the stem cell transplant
procedure.
Coincidentally, Revée’s
Coincidentally, Revée’s doctor had been thinking about
conducting adult stem cell transplants for sickle cell disease.
They tested Stephanie and found out that she was a perfect match
for her sister. Stephanie’s stem cells were then collected and
given to Revée.
Today, Revée’s blood tests does not show any signs of sickle
cell disease, which means she is totally cured.
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