Mom, we did it.

With those words, Jonathan Pitre hugged his mother, Tina Boileau, and shared his joy and relief at learning the news late Tuesday afternoon that his stem cell transplant has worked.

Blood tests revealed that all of the new white cells in his bloodstream are from his mothers donated stem cells, and contain her two telltale X chromosomes. It means his mothers donated stem cells have taken root in his bone marrow and have started to produce new blood cells.

This is the best news ever, the best Mothers Day gift, said an elated Boileau, who has remained at her sons side throughout his marathon treatment for epidermolysis bullosa, a rare and painful disease that causes his skin to blister and tear easily.

Jonathan Pitre rests in bed, his pillow with his Boston terrier, Gibson, on it close by. Tina Boileau / -

Oftentimes, doctors find a mix of white blood cells, from the donor and patient, soon after a stem cell transplant. But in Pitres case, all of the new white blood cells, 100 per cent, were donor cells.

Jon is full of me, said Boileau. He doesnt have any T-cells that are his.

Pitre, who turns 17 next month, was allowed out of his room for the first time Tuesday since his April 13 transplant when he was infused with stem cells drawn from his mothers hip bone. His infection-fighting white blood cells are now numerous enough his count hit 1.0 on Tuesday that he was allowed to emerge from medical isolation.

We celebrated our good news by going for a walk in the hallway, Boileau said.

Pitre has been in Minnesota since mid-February to undergo his second attempt at the experimental treatment pioneered by doctors at the University of Minnesota Masonic Childrens Hospital.His first transplant ended in disappointment on Thanksgiving Day last year, but the family opted to undergo a second transplant, despite its risks and hardships.

This time, wonderfully, it worked.

I just got official results: Jon is 100 per cent donor! Boileau said in a text message late Tuesday afternoon.

Offered to children and adolescents with severe EB as part of a clinical trial, the stem cell transplant is physically demanding and comes with a host of life-threatening side effects. One of those potential side effects is graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), a complication in which the new white blood cells turn on the patients tissues and attack them as foreign.

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Pitre has suffered infections, fevers and profound exhaustion ever since his transplant while battling to get his pain levels under control. Doctors will now be on guard for signs of GVHD.

A Grade 11 student from Russell, Pitre suffers from a rare form of EB that complicates how he moves, eats, bathes and sleeps. Many of those with severe EB die from an aggressive form of skin cancer in their 20s.

The stem cell transplant holds the potential to dramatically improve Pitres life and produce tougher skin that blisters less and heals more readily.

Link:
It worked! Jonathan Pitre's transplant takes root - Ottawa Citizen

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