By Pam Wright
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Ethan Hunter’s fight against leukemia has entered a new chapter.
On Oct. 16, the 16-year-old started an experimental drug at Sick Kids hospital in Toronto with the aim of bringing the disease into remission.
If it works, the youth will be a candidate for a stem cell transplant when a match is found.
Ethan’s mom remains hopeful the new drug will combat the lymphoblastic lymphoma/T-cell leukemia currently impacting her son.
“The way I see it is, we can’t have an end if we don’t have a start,” said Shara Hunter, noting Ethan continues to hold his own.
“He is feeling fairly well,” she said, adding the youth is joking around and teasing the nurses. However, he continues to experience fatigue and symptoms such as bruising.
According to Shara, Ethan will receive the trial drug in 28-day blocks and, depending on his condition, he’ll receive at least two cycles.
The youth had to wait for approval to begin treatment, as the drug is so new it has yet to be approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration.
In the meantime, the quest to find a compatible stem cell (bone marrow) donor continues. Members of the Hunter family have been ruled out as they’re either ineligible due to age or not a match.
Finding the perfect donor is difficult, as everyone’s bone marrow is unique, Shara said.
“It’s just like a fingerprint,” she explained. “We need a 10-out-of-10 match. We’re waiting to hear on a match.”
The Chatham-Kent community has rallied around the young Chatham resident and his family with dozens stepping up to be tested to become a stem cell match at various donor clinics. Others shaved their heads at an event held at Sons of Kent which also saw the brewery donate 50 cents from every pint sold to support the family.
Many have offered prayer.
The latest stem cell clinic at the St. Clair College HealthPlex was put on by the Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association. Katelyn’s parents Bryan and Joanne Bedard founded the organization in 2005 after losing their daughter Katelyn when she was three years old.
There are currently around 1,300 Canadians waiting for a stem cell transplant to treat 80 different conditions, with blood cancers at the top of the list. Canadian Blood Services has 450,000 donors on its registry and there are 40 million people on the world-wide registry.
In order to be a donor, you must be between the ages of 17 and 35. To find out how to donate, visit blood.ca/stemcells. Potential donors will be asked to fill out a questionnaire, and a kit, allowing them to self-swab, will be mailed to them.
