Blood donors help Ocean View man survive

On Jan. 28, Ryan P. of Ocean View celebrated his 27th birthday. 

At one time, it was a day he was not sure he was going to see. 

In August 2020, Ryan, who preferred to use his first name only, was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, which affects 1 in 2 million people a year. The disease is an idiopathic failure of the bone marrow, which can strike with no real rhyme or reason. In the human body, the bone marrow is the place where new blood cells - red, white and platelets - are formed. These blood cells supply oxygen and nourishment to other parts of the body. But with aplastic anemia, the body cannot regenerate new blood cells, leaving the body susceptible to bleeding and infection. 

“Your body is basically a blood factory and shuts down for no reason,” he said of the disease.

Typically, the disease affects children and young adults. Without prompt treatment, the disease can be fatal. 

When he started experiencing symptoms, Ryan went to Beebe Healthcare’s clinic in Millville for blood tests and it was shown that he had no red blood cells or platelets in his body. His immune system had essentially ceased to function. 

Ryan was first sent to Christian Care where he underwent a bone marrow biopsy. He got 4 units of blood and 2 bags of platelets there. Complicating things was the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, which left him alone at the hospital.

While at Christiana, he found a Facebook group associated with aplastic anemia, looking for any sort of support he can find from patients or family members of people that dealt with his disease. He got a good response and members of the group pointed him to research trials at Johns Hopkins Hospital in Baltimore that performed what is known as a haplo bone marrow transplant, which uses bone marrow from half-matched donors, in this case, his brother; Ryan did not have any full matches through donor networks or family members. Prior to the operation, Ryan had received 200 units of red blood and 170 bags of platelets.

“It really took a whole army to keep me alive even until the transplant,” he said. 

At Johns Hopkins, the real struggle began. In preparation for the transplant, Ryan underwent chemotherapy and radiation treatments. All in all, he had nine chemotherapy treatments before the transplant. Besides the transplant, he got one last blood cell transfusion. 

After the transplant, his immune system had to essentially regenerate itself, and as his hair came back after chemo, he noticed that his formerly bleached blond hair was now the same brown-colored hair his brother has. He also had to get all of his childhood immunizations, such as shingles, all over again.

As his body recovered, he found himself thankful for the blood donors that had kept him alive.

“This isn’t made in a lab, this is coming from other people who don’t know where it’s going. I thought, ‘If I make it, how am I going to get out of here and let these people know how thankful I am for what they did to have me able to be here now,” Ryan said.

A realtor by trade, Ryan ran into staff members of the Blood Bank of Delaware and told them how blood donors had saved his life. The blood bank held a meet-and-greet Jan. 27 at Dogfish Head in Rehoboth Beach to allow donors to meet Ryan and stress the need for blood donation. Currently, the United States is experiencing a major blood shortage delaying blood transfusions. The American Red Cross has gone so far as to declare a blood crisis; according to the Red Cross, blood donations have declined by 10 percent during the pandemic.

For Ryan and officials from the blood bank, allowing people to hear Ryan’s story is a way to offer living proof of how blood donations can save lives.

Blood Bank Executive Director Patty Kileen said, “When you donate, someone is always waiting for that blood.”

Ryan added, “I had my whole life ahead of me that was put on hold by this. I hope people see the end result of what their selfless donation has done will continue to inspire them to donate and inspire other people as well.”