REXBURG One Rexburg teen is uniting both the local community and university campus in the search for a bone marrow donor.

In February, 13-year-old Britton Pugh was diagnosed with rare primary T-cell lymphoblastic lymphoma. Britton is the only known pediatric case of this type of cancer in the country.

Brittons cancer, like leukemia, takes the form of a liquid, said Mark Pugh, Brittons father and faculty member of the chemistry department at Brigham Young University-Idaho.

Doctors believe the disease attacks the central nervous system in Brittons brain and spine.

Since February, Britton has undergone chemotherapy, which doctors believe has decreased the cancer and sent it into remission. Britton is also receiving radiation for the next couple weeks.

But to provide the best hope of a cure, doctors have suggested a bone marrow transplant.

The source could be coming from the bone marrow, thats why we need the transplant. Pugh said. For the highest percent of a cure, they want to do a bone marrow transplant to make sure (the cancer) doesnt come back.

Around the end of April, Pugh said the family first looked toward Brittons siblings for a possible match.

Pugh told the Standard Journal Friday that siblings have a 25 percent chance of being the right DNA match. Pugh had his sons tested through the routine cheek swab test, including a son serving an LDS mission in Spain.

A DNA match is determined by a simple test done by swabbing the inside of a donors cheek.

The rest is here:
No One Fights Alone

Comments are closed.