Jamie Vick

Bone Marrow Transplantation for a Young Adult

Childhood diseases can have serious consequences for adults. So it should be no surprise that the specialists who treat pediatric conditions are often the best choice to support patients with childhood conditions as they transition into adult life.

Just ask leukemia survivor Jaime Vick.

Jaime was a 14-year-old high school freshman and a rising basketball star when she was dealt her first blow from leukemia. The second came when she was a young adult. In both cases, oncology specialists at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC provided care.

The most common form of childhood cancer, leukemia affects approximately 2,800 children each year in the United States. Gene mutations and chromosome abnormalities that occur by chance are the usual causes. In Jaime’s case, she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia, or ALL, the most common form of leukemia. Sidelined by her condition, Jaime was initially treated at Children’s Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. Although she was one of the older kids in her section of the hospital, doctors and nurses went out of their way to find movies and books that would interest her. And they didn’t bat an eye when Jaime’s entire basketball team came to visit.

David Vick, Jaime’s father, said that pediatric oncologist Michael R. Wollman, MD, of Children’s Hematology/Oncology Division, inspired trust in Jaime from day one. He was honest and straightforward and talked directly to her.

During her first stay, Jaime was tutored, initially at Children’s and then at home, supported by her twin sister and fellow roundballer, Jodie, who picked up her school assignments during the time when Jaime received chemotherapy through Children’s Marty Ostrow Hematology/Oncology Outpatient Treatment Center.

“Once Jaime was better, she returned to school and her activities almost as if nothing had happened,’’ said her father, David Vick. For five years after her diagnosis, Jaime pursued basketball, graduated from Kiski Area High School and continued playing basketball at St. Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa., where she roomed with Jodie and majored in education.

Then, in the spring of her sophomore year, Jaime suffered a relapse. This time she would need a risky bone marrow transplant. For treatment, the family again turned to Children’s. Jaime was now 20. Well-meaning friends and family couldn’t understand why the Vicks chose Children’s over an “adult” hospital.

Specialists From Infancy to Adulthood

The fact is that Children’s serves patients from infancy into young adulthood. To help meet the needs of maturing youth, Children’s has a Division of Adolescent Medicine to provide diagnostic and treatment services for youth and young adults, 15 to 21 years old, in an age-appropriate setting.

For cancer patients, Children’s offers the region’s only Adolescent and Young Adult Oncology Program (AYA), developed by pediatric oncologist Peter H. Shaw, MD. “Pediatric specialists are not only attuned to kids’ rapidly changing bodies, but they understand what it is to provide family-centered care, which means keeping the family involved in all aspects of care,’’ said Dr. Shaw.

Dr. Shaw points to research showing that children and teens respond far better and faster when treated by those who are trained specifically to care for them. Also, international research has shown that adolescents and young adults diagnosed with malignancies more common in children have higher survival rates when treated by pediatric oncologists. With that in mind, the AYA Program combines unparalleled treatment options with a comprehensive approach that addresses the physical, psychological, and emotional needs of adolescents and young adults diagnosed with cancer.

“Jaime needed to be treated by people who understood her,” said her mother, Debbie Vick. “This is a childhood cancer and we trusted the doctors at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Just as important, everyone had always been so upbeat and positive, and that kept Jaime going – and kept us going.”

“The first time, when Jaime was in high school, her father and I tried to shield her as much as we could,’’ said Mrs. Vick. “This time, we knew we couldn’t treat her as a child – and neither did the doctors.”

The search for a suitable bone marrow donor yielded a surprise for the Vicks. Jaime’s extended family, including dozens of cousins and aunts, provided blood samples in hopes of finding a good match. Up to that point, the Vicks believed that Jaime and Jodie were fraternal twins. “That’s what the doctors told me even before they were born,’’ said Mrs. Vick. But, doctors in Children’s Blood and Marrow Transplantation unit determined – to everyone’s surprise – that Jaime and Jodie are identical twins, which made Jodie not just a good match, but a perfect one.

That summer, Jaime received bone marrow from her sister. Jodie stayed at Children’s overnight, and went home with a slightly sore hip. Jaime stayed 100 days – much of it in isolation while her body accepted her new bone marrow.

Eventually Jaime returned to St. Vincent’s and helped to coach the basketball team. Although somewhat disappointed that she couldn’t graduate with her St. Vincent College class and with Jodie because of the semester she lost recuperating from her transplant, Jaime said, “This is still another experience for me, and I think I’m a better-rounded person because of all my experiences.”