Pictured: Danielle Biron (second from left) with her three children, Rhyan (left), Bodhi (centre) and Ben (right).
When Danielle Biron was diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in October 2022, she was told that the only option for a cure would be a stem cell transplant. It was the second time in three years that Danielle, a mom to three children, would need cancer treatment at the QEII. In 2020, she had surgery and radiation to treat thyroid cancer.
Her friends and family rallied around her, doing everything they could to help find a stem cell match. "It was a life-or-death situation," says a close friend and colleague, Stacy Landry.
In April 2023, Danielle found a match. But before the transplant could happen, she needed to undergo high-dose chemotherapy to prepare her body for her long-awaited stem cell transplant.
Every dose of chemotherapy at the QEII is prepared in the donor-funded Cancer Therapy Preparation Lab. Each day, the lab prepares between 120 and 150 lifesaving doses of chemotherapy for patients like Danielle receiving cancer treatment at the QEII.
"A stem cell transplant is a very complicated process. It's the most complex medical procedure ever, explains Dr. Mahmoud Elsawy, a QEII hematologist and member of Danielle's care team.
The QEII is the only health centre in Atlantic Canada that offers this procedure. And it saved Danielle's life.
To learn more about Danielle’s inspiring story, watch the video below:
