6-Year-Old Girl Gets Marrow Transplant

(June 12) -- A 6-year-old New York City girl received a bone marrow
transplant Thursday to treat a rare and deadly form of leukemia, five
months after her diagnosis.
Celebrities including Rihanna, Kelly Rowland and NBA stars Chris
Wilcox and Paul Pierce encouraged thousands of people to sign up as
potential donors for Jasmina Anema.

Jasmina Anema, 6, here in her hospital room recently, suffers from NK-
cell leukemia, a rare and particularly deadly form of the disease. She
received a bone marrow transplant from a stranger on Thursday,
People.com reported.

"It's an overwhelming relief," Jasmina's mother, Thea, told People
from her hospital room. "I am incredibly grateful to the donor who
gave Jasmina a second chance at life."
The best bets for donors are usually family members and, in the case
of Jasmina, a donor who is African-American like her. But Jasmina was
adopted, and her mother is white.
An executive with DKMS Americas, the bone marrow donor registry that
helped Jasmina find a match, said she "seemed like a hopeless case
when she was first diagnosed because she had an aggressive form of
leukemia, no potential donors and is African American â€" which makes it
even harder to find a match."
The donor is a stranger, and DKMS said Jasmina and her mother can find
out the person's identity in one or two years.
The transplant was postponed twice after a matching donor was finally
identified because Jasmina had the shingles, which covered her body
with painful blisters. She underwent 10 days of chemo and radiation
before the transplant.

"I love this little girl and I am so happy that Jasmina received her
transplant today," Rihanna told the magazine. "Miracles do happen ...
Jasmina remains in my prayers for a fast recovery."

Jasmina will be hospitalized for a month, and will be allowed to go
home if it looks like the transplant has taken, People reported. Then,
she would have to be isolated for six months.
"That means no school, no playground and very few visitors," her
mother said. "But I can't wait to have her back at home."