Sioux Lookout youth to have second stem cell transplant

Brendan Babcock is undergoing his second round of treatment for a rare form of cancer, cutaneous T cell lymphoma.
“He was diagnosed in April,” said his mother, Leah Menzies, a constable with Nishnawbe Aski Police Service in Sioux Lookout. “It’s an aggressive type (of cancer) and they have to do a bone marrow transplant.”
Menzies said during a Sept. 6 interview a bone marrow donor has now been found for her son’s treatment. During his first round of treatment he received a transplant of umbilical stem cells, which did not take. She said there weren’t any bone marrow donors available anywhere in the world that matched her son for the first transplant, so the doctors used umbilical stem cells. Stem cells are more plentiful in bone marrow compared to an umbilical cord.
“We don’t know where he (the donor) is from, but we do know it is a male,” Menzies said, explaining the stem cells were to be harvested from the donor Sept. 7.
The transplant was to take place Oct. 8.
Menzies said the transplant is similar to a blood transfusion, as the stem cells look like a bag of blood.
“But when they harvest the stem cells from the donor, they give the donor a set of shots over five days,” Menzies said. “The whole process leading up to that is so amazing to hear about. Somebody from Winnipeg flies to wherever in the world this donor is, picks up these stem cells and flies all the way back to Canada.”
Menzies said the transplant is actually done in her son’s hospital room.
“They hang the bag of stem cells and it’s like a blood transfusion. It just goes into his (intravenous) line and into his body.”
Menzies said the stem cells travel through the body to where they are needed.
“From there it takes Brendan three weeks or so to engraft (make new blood cells).”
Menzies and her 15-year-old son have been in Winnipeg since May awaiting a transplant. On July 19 Babcock underwent an umbilical cord stem cell transplant after a bone marrow donor could not be found anywhere in the world.
“An umbilical cord was donated,” Menzies said. “At that time there was no bone marrow donor available so the doctors used these umbilical cord stem cells for his transplant and then he would have been able to go home three months later,” Menzies said. “But we found out in September that (transplant) did not take, so Brendan is going on to his second transplant.”
Menzies and her son will likely be in Winnipeg for another three months as he recuperates.
“I’m a single mother – I need to be here for my son,” Menzies said, explaining she has applied of Employment Insurance benefits but has not yet received any to date. “My service has been amazing, they granted me an unpaid leave for as long as I need to be with my son and they have also been very supportive. They had all the officers donate overtime hours so I was able to be covered from May, for at least a month.”
Menzies said the Ontario Provincial Police and NAPS officers in Sioux Lookout have also been very supportive, especially with the organization of a spaghetti dinner which raised about $3,000 towards her expenses, and her sister’s friend also organized a social for her.
“We’re just trying to make it through day by day,” Menzies said.
Menzies would appreciate any support from the community, noting she still has to pay rent on her apartment as well as $1,000 per month for a special apartment in Winnipeg for patients such as her son who still have to remain in isolation while not in hospital.
“Brendan is only allowed to be in the (special) apartment or in the hospital,” Menzies said. “Every time he goes back and forth he has to wear a mask because his immune system will be right down to zero. He has to wait for all his counts and cells to come right back up again.
“After one year, after the transplant, he has to be re-immunized for everything again. At this time he is very susceptible to any kind of infection and the doctors give him all types of medication to help with that.”
Menzies has not been working since May but was covered for four weeks under a short-term disability.
“Since then I haven’t been getting paid,” Menzies said.
Menzies encourages people to sign up as a bone marrow donor through the Canadian Blood Services website at www.blood.ca.
“It’s very easy, all you have to do is fill out an application online and they mail you a swab kit for your cheek,” Menzies said, explaining she has already registered. “You swab your cheek, you send it back and then you’re on the registry.”
Menzies also encourages people to donate blood, as her son has already received about 10 blood transfusions and 15 platelet transfusions during his treatment.