My Family’s Journey with Blood and Bone Marrow Transplantation
For 22 years, I’ve worked for Stanford Blood Center (SBC), but my personal connection to blood banking goes far beyond that and crosses generations. I was born in 1980 with Diamond Blackfan Anemia (DBA), a rare inherited bone marrow failure syndrome characterized by a lack of production of red blood cells, which can require chronic red cell transfusions or steroids such as prednisone. If neither of those options works, a bone marrow transplant is a possibility.
Geoff and his mom, Sue
During my childhood, there were times I was steroid dependent and times when I was transfusion dependent. All the blood I received during my teens was collected at SBC. During my time of transfusion dependency, my mother, who was one of my directed donors and a registered nurse, was recruited to work at SBC during one of her donations. She worked there as a charge nurse from 2001 until her passing in 2020.
In April of 2020, my wife gave birth to our son, Sebastien, who was born with DBA as well. He was transfusion dependent from the day he was born, receiving blood every three to four weeks. Ultimately, the best option for him was a bone marrow transplant, which he received in June 2022. In November 2022, our daughter, Madeline, was born with DBA and began a journey like her brother’s. She received blood every three to four weeks until her bone marrow transplant in March 2025. Both children were transplanted at Stanford Children’s, which meant the blood they received during the transplant process was collected at SBC, and all the transplant-related testing was performed at SBC as well.
Both children are doing well, and I’ve been in remission since 1997. We’re all alive because of the selfless gifts from our blood and marrow donors and the work that blood bank and laboratory staff have done, which have all been an integral part of my family for 45 years.