Stephanie Rossi is a local woman who was diagnosed two years ago with an extremely rare bone marrow failure disease called Severe Aplastic Anemia (SAA). She left P.G. for Vancouver to receive a life-saving Bone Marrow Transplant in June. Stephanie spoke publically for the first time to mypgnow.com, with the hopes of not only raising awareness for the condition but also bringing attention to the shortage of certain healthcare amenities in Northern BC. This is part four. Part one is available here, while part two can be found here, and her most recent update can be found here.
When MyPGNow.com spoke with Stephanie Rossi of Prince George in July, she had just learned that doctors in Vancouver had found a complete stranger that was eligible to donate bone marrow, shortly after learning that her son, who was originally going to make the donation, was no longer an option.
On August 19th, Rossi underwent a stem cell transplant (like an infusion) and has since been dealing with the highs and lows of healing from such an invasive procedure since then.
In an interview today (Monday) she said her blood levels are slowly on the rise and she is feeling much better now compared to immediately after a stem cell transplant procedure, despite the fact that she’s currently battling a viral infection.
“Currently, I’m not transfusion dependant and I was before so my numbers are low, they’re not in the normal range but it’s been six or seven weeks since I’ve had to have a platelet transfusion and probably almost three with no blood but I mean the numbers do go up and down and I just take it day by day.”
Doctors expected Rossi’s post-transplant recovery would take longer than someone who received bone marrow from a close relative, so she is pleased with where she is at in her healing journey.
Stephanie was discharged from the hospital after 44 days.
She has been living in a Vancouver apartment since September 23rd having dealt with peaks and valleys of transplant recovery, however, Rossi has managed to keep a positive outlook throughout her battle with Severe Aplastic Anemia.
“I’m back to being very strong, when I went through the bone marrow transplant, I’m not going to lie it’s a tough journey and it took me down a little bit but I’m back right up to where I was before again. You know, when you’re not feeling well and you’ve just got to take one day at a time and you’ve just got to stay strong and believe and have the hope that everything’s going to go the way that it’s planned and that’s really all you have.”
Rossi says she has had plenty of community members reach out to support her during her stay at Vancouver General Hospital, offering prayers and well wishes.
All she knows about her bone marrow donor is he is a man that she suspects is from Germany, and since the donation process is anonymous she will most likely never know who he is.
However, she says that if she got the chance to meet him, she would have one message for him.
“I would tell him that he gave me another shot at life so that I can be with my family and it’s actually the greatest gift that someone can give, the chance at being able to live, and maybe even live a normal life and not have to be transfusion dependant week-to-week and watch your blood levels and just to have a normal life, the thing that most people take for granted. There’d probably be no words really, it’s such a selfless act.”
It has been 80 days since the procedure and depending on the patient, medical staff typically require recipients of a bone marrow transplant to remain in the hospital’s vicinity for at least 100 days.
“We’re hoping that it will be 100 days but we’re not sure because we’re having a little bump right now with a viral infection that I have so it can take my numbers down but right now we’re hoping to be at the 100-day mark.”
Her road to recovery will be a long one, and Rossi wanted to remind Prince George residents about a very important message to consider when dealing with their health and wellness.
“Don’t ignore signs like I did. Sometimes if things are caught earlier, it can make a big difference, and I’m not saying that it would’ve made a big difference for me but possibly, it could’ve. So if you’re feeling things that are not normal for you it’s best to get them checked out and I think I waited way too long to go in for that, and definitely make sure that you get to specialists who specialize in the different things that could be wrong with your health.”
Rossi says she wishes P.G. had more specialists available so she didn’t have to travel for healthcare, however, that is part of the reason why she decided to go public with her journey, to advocate for more healthcare resources in Northern BC.
She also had a message for anyone considering becoming a bone marrow donor.
“If you’re able to donate to somebody, it’s the biggest gift you can give someone really, it’s a chance at life. If you’re healthy enough that you can do it, I know I would do it if I was healthy enough to do it. Definitely, if you’re a person like me whose numbers will never go up ever and have to be transfusion dependant for their whole lives, it gives them a chance at maybe possibly having a recovery.”