*Disclaimer: this is more of a personal blog post, but still related to cell and gene therapy.*
My mother recently got a laminectomy at The Hospital of Special Surgery, in New York, as she has had lower back problems since her twenties. Thanks to the phenomenal doctors, the surgery was a success and she is recovering at home.
A laminectomy is a type of surgery in which a surgeon removes part or all of the vertebral bone. In this case, my mother had a pinched nerve which caused her back pains. The x-ray revealed that the bone was what was pinching the nerve and in order to relieve the stress in that area, the bone had to be removed.
What happened to the bone? Where did it go?
Before the surgery, my mother was offered an option to donate the bone to stem cell research. Beforehand, I suggested to my parent that, if possible, they should donate the bone to research as bone marrow and stem cells are difficult to come by. My mother agreed to donate her bone.
Once she came home, I told my mother I am extremely proud of her decision and asked her how she felt.
She replied jubilantly, "There is something fulfilling knowing that you contributed to the development of life-saving drugs and treatments. And I want to be part of the reason a baby or someone suffering from an illness can continue living."
I wanted to share this story with you all because of how heartwarming it was to me. I wish you all take away from this story, research is a long and tedious journey, which requires the support and unity of all kinds of people in a variety of ways; the results, however, are intangible.
Enjoy your holidays and I'll see you all next year :)