Alaska Native patients struggle to find bone marrow transplant matches

Alaska born Wendy Lythgoe-Snipes grew up an avid skier, spending her time on the slopes of Alyeska. She was good enough to join the elite skiers competing at Junior Olympics and junior nationals. As an athlete, her physical fitness was something that just was. Until it wasn’t.

In 2002, Lythgoe-Snipes was diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma. She was treated with a regimen that involved both chemotherapy and radiation, only to have the cancer recur a year and a half later. Lythgoe-Snipes then opted for a stem cell transplant using her own blood.

http://www.adn.com/article/20160502/alaska-native-patients-struggle-find-bone-marrow-transplant-matches