In July 2010, my sister underwent a bone marrow transplant as part of her treatment for leukemia (ALL). While biological siblings are the best hope for a viable match, I was deemed unsuitable because our HLA tissue only matched 50%. After a few weeks of searching the National Marrow Donor Program (Be The Match), two […]
Making ‘The Cut’
September 5, 2012 by 21 Comments
After my sister was diagnosed with leukemia in February 2010, she cut her long blonde hair to an ear-length bob in preparation for the inevitable chemotherapy hair loss. Just a few weeks later, she was completely bald and we headed out to Brooklyn to buy a wig from a store that serves Jewish women who […]
My Sister’s a Survivor: Celebrating Life and Liberty
September 19, 2011 by 34 Comments
My 34-year-old sister was diagnosed with leukemia (ALL) in February 2010 and underwent chemo and full body radiation in an effort to put her cancer into remission to allow for a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant. While I wasn’t a match, an unrelated donor was found through the Be The Match Registry, and she underwent […]
Ahoy, I'm Natalie! I'm an educator and therapist, married to a dreamboat, and live near the beach in New Jersey. It's all about books here; I read and review them. Have a book you'd like me to review? Visit my
