A bone marrow transplant is a very risky, life threatening procedure. Kylie entered Fairview University Medical Center at the University of Minnesota for her transplant on January 22, 1999. This was supposed to be one of the top pediatric bone marrow transplant centers in the world. She lay there in the radiation room by herself, strapped down on a table as we read to her from outside the door, all the while she was being subjected to full body radiation. She did not ever complain or whine.
Most kids needed to be given anesthesia to be perfectly still for radiation.
We asked her if she could lay still so that she would not need extra medicine. We did not want her to have any more medication than already necessary, and she was fine with it. Kylie was brave beyond belief. After the four days of radiation, Kylie actually received an umbilical cord transplant, which is rich in stem cells for the growth of new bone marrow. Her transplant was on Jan. 29th, 1999.