--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: The thought of going through a bone…" description: "\"The thought of going through a bone marrow transplant, which in my case called for a life-threatening dose of chemotherapy followed by a total replacem..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/suleika-jaouad-6310_body_the-thought-of-going-through-a-bone-marr_2939805.jpg" --- # The thought of going through a bone marrow transplant… ![“The thought of going through a bone marrow transplant, which in my case called for a life-threatening dose of chemotherapy followed by a total replacement of my body's bone marrow, was scary enough. But then I learned that finding a donor can be the scariest part of all.” quote by Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/suleika-jaouad-6310_body_the-thought-of-going-through-a-bone-marr_2939805.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/suleika-jaouad-6310_body_the-thought-of-going-through-a-bone-marr_2939805.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/18f/suleika-jaouad-6310_body_the-thought-of-going-through-a-bone-marr_2939805.jpg) > “The thought of going through a bone marrow transplant, which in my case called for a life-threatening dose of chemotherapy followed by a total replacement of my body's bone marrow, was scary enough. But then I learned that finding a donor can be the scariest part of all.” [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. Finding a bone‑marrow donor is often more frightening than the transplant itself, highlighting donor scarcity. **In simple terms:** Donor scarcity can be scarier than treatment. Key Takeaway Raise awareness and encourage donor registration. Themes health donation fear hope Mood hopeful urgent Type personal educational When to use this quote - transplant preparation - patient support groups - public health campaigns Key Concepts medical scarcity life‑saving matches Questions to Reflect On - Why does donor scarcity cause such fear? - How can we increase donor availability? A Different Perspective May underplay transplant risks. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Body](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) [Bone](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bone/) [Bone marrow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/bone-marrow/) [Cancer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/cancer/) [Case](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/case/) [Donor Scariest](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/donor-scariest-4377921/) [Enough](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/enough/) [Finding](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/finding/) [Marrow Scary](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marrow-scary-4377920/) [Marrow Transplant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/marrow-transplant-714326/) [Transplant](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/transplant/) ## Related quotes > [The bone marrow transplant procedure itself can be dangerous, but it is swift, which makes it feel strangely anti-climactic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/the-bone-marrow-transplant-procedure-itself-can-be-dangerous-but-it/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [It felt like 10 years, but I was actually in treatment for three-and-a-half years. I finally finished in April. Two years ago, I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/it-felt-like-10-years-but-i-was-actually-in-treatment-for-three-and-a/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Today, my brother and I share almost identical DNA, the result of a successful bone marrow transplant I had last April using his healthy…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/today-my-brother-and-i-share-almost-identical-dna-the-result-of-a/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Her face crashes. She hasn't dealt with a single transfusion or lumbar puncture. She wasn't allowed near me for the bone-marrow transplant, but she…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jenny-downham/her-face-crashes-she-hasn-t-dealt-with-a-single-transfusion-or-lumbar/) [Jenny Downham](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jenny-downham/) > [There's a photograph of me in the transplant unit where I have a vomit bucket under one arm, I have my laptop on my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/there-s-a-photograph-of-me-in-the-transplant-unit-where-i-have-a/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Every year, nearly two-thirds of the approximately 200,000 patients in need of a bone marrow transplant will not find a marrow donor that matches…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nathan-deal/every-year-nearly-two-thirds-of-the-approximately-200-000-patients-in/) [Nathan Deal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nathan-deal/) > [My column launched while I was in the bone marrow transplant unit. And I remember waking up the next morning and opening my inbox…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/my-column-launched-while-i-was-in-the-bone-marrow-transplant-unit-and/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Just a few years ago, at the age of 22, I learned I had an aggressive form of leukemia. I needed intensive chemotherapy and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/just-a-few-years-ago-at-the-age-of-22-i-learned-i-had-an-aggressive/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Dozens of chemotherapy treatments and one bone marrow transplant later, I wish I could say that I've mastered the art of not working. But…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/dozens-of-chemotherapy-treatments-and-one-bone-marrow-transplant/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Soon enough I would learn the specific diagnosis: myelodysplastic syndrome, a disorder of the bone marrow. In my case, the disease growing inside me…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/soon-enough-i-would-learn-the-specific-diagnosis-myelodysplastic/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [I've been fortunate to be treated by excellent doctors at world-class hospitals. In the last year alone, my insurance has covered over a million…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/i-ve-been-fortunate-to-be-treated-by-excellent-doctors-at-world-class/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [It is something that is called MDS. It is a rare blood disorder that affects the bone marrow. I'm going to beat this. My…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/robin-roberts/it-is-something-that-is-called-mds-it-is-a-rare-blood-disorder-that/) [Robin Roberts](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/robin-roberts/) > [I've had every chemo in the alphabet, most of them more than once. Some of them that aren't even in the alphabet, they're just…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/craig-sager/i-ve-had-every-chemo-in-the-alphabet-most-of-them-more-than-once-some/) [Craig Sager](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/craig-sager/) > [My doctor suggested doing some blood tests and immediately discovered that my white blood cell count was low. So then I went through many…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sheryl-lee/my-doctor-suggested-doing-some-blood-tests-and-immediately-discovered/) [Sheryl Lee](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sheryl-lee/) > [At 49, I find it a little bit difficult to run these days. I've got grade four tears in both Achilles, shin splints, I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/russell-crowe/at-49-i-find-it-a-little-bit-difficult-to-run-these-days-i-ve-got/) [Russell Crowe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/russell-crowe/) ## More by Suleika Jaouad > [With a Catholic mother and a Muslim father, I've always had a great interest in religion, but I've never practiced one myself. After I…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/with-a-catholic-mother-and-a-muslim-father-i-ve-always-had-a-great/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [It felt like 10 years, but I was actually in treatment for three-and-a-half years. I finally finished in April. Two years ago, I had…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/it-felt-like-10-years-but-i-was-actually-in-treatment-for-three-and-a/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [There are days when I even long for the paralegal job that once upon a time made me so miserable. It wasn't the perfect…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/there-are-days-when-i-even-long-for-the-paralegal-job-that-once-upon/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [When I finally returned home after my five-week hospitalization, I could feel the stares of strangers on my bald head and thinning eyebrows. Everywhere…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/when-i-finally-returned-home-after-my-five-week-hospitalization-i/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [The bone marrow transplant procedure itself can be dangerous, but it is swift, which makes it feel strangely anti-climactic.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/the-bone-marrow-transplant-procedure-itself-can-be-dangerous-but-it/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Even amid the shock of my diagnosis, I held onto the hope that I'd be able to make the most of my down time…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/even-amid-the-shock-of-my-diagnosis-i-held-onto-the-hope-that-i-d-be/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [I'll never go so far to call cancer a gift. It's a really terrible disease. It's taken the lives of so many of my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/i-ll-never-go-so-far-to-call-cancer-a-gift-it-s-a-really-terrible/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [I think often when we talk about things like cancer, the kind of final act at the end of the story comes with a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/i-think-often-when-we-talk-about-things-like-cancer-the-kind-of-final/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Before my diagnosis with leukemia, two years ago at the age of 22, I'd always excelled at making resolutions. But I was never as…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/before-my-diagnosis-with-leukemia-two-years-ago-at-the-age-of-22-i-d/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Like a lot of other young people, I never thought about health insurance until I got sick. I was 22, and my adult life…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/like-a-lot-of-other-young-people-i-never-thought-about-health/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [And there came a point in my treatment where I couldn't see that end in sight. And that was the most challenging, I think,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/and-there-came-a-point-in-my-treatment-where-i-couldn-t-see-that-end/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [But no conversation between doctor and patient can magically turn an uninsured patient into an insured one. Doctors are just as helpless as patients…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/but-no-conversation-between-doctor-and-patient-can-magically-turn-an/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [Cancer magnifies the in-betweenness of young adulthood: You're not a child anymore, yet you're not fully ready to live in the adult world, either.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/cancer-magnifies-the-in-betweenness-of-young-adulthood-you-re-not-a/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [I get along well with my medical team and I have a tremendous amount of respect for them. But the idea of discussing my…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/i-get-along-well-with-my-medical-team-and-i-have-a-tremendous-amount/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) > [For the better half of my early 20s, I was Bubble Girl. When I found out I had leukemia at 22 my world suddenly…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/suleika-jaouad/for-the-better-half-of-my-early-20s-i-was-bubble-girl-when-i-found/) [Suleika Jaouad](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) [Explore all 99 Suleika Jaouad quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/suleika-jaouad/) ## More Body quotes > [Most of us are convinced that we are our egos, which is who we think we are. The ego is part of our incarnation.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ram-dass/most-of-us-are-convinced-that-we-are-our-egos-which-is-who-we-think/) [Ram Dass](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ram-dass/) > [The very purpose for being in this body, for every one of us, is to live and rejoice in that virgin area, that untouched,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/the-very-purpose-for-being-in-this-body-for-every-one-of-us-is-to/) [Sri Sri Ravi Shankar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/sri-sri-ravi-shankar/) > [Because of the womb being a central phenomenon in the feminine body, the whole psychology of woman differs: she is non-aggressive, non-inquiring, non-questioning, non-doubting,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rajneesh/because-of-the-womb-being-a-central-phenomenon-in-the-feminine-body/) [Rajneesh](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rajneesh/) > [When you're scared - and I mean really scared, not just hearing a noise in the night, or standing toe to toe with someone…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alexander-gordon-smith/when-you-re-scared-and-i-mean-really-scared-not-just-hearing-a-noise/) [Alexander Gordon Smith](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alexander-gordon-smith/) > [I've used the Phoenix Centrifuge to replicate what the body's going to go through on the flight up. I've also done some gravity tests…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-branson/i-ve-used-the-phoenix-centrifuge-to-replicate-what-the-body-s-going/) [Richard Branson](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-branson/) > [Practically all animals which move fast in a homogeneous medium have found means of giving their body a streamlined shape, thereby reducing friction to…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/konrad-lorenz/practically-all-animals-which-move-fast-in-a-homogeneous-medium-have/) [Konrad Lorenz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/konrad-lorenz/) > [If the media is sending girls the message that their value lies in their bodies, this can only leave them feeling disempowered and distract…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jennifer-siebel-newsom/if-the-media-is-sending-girls-the-message-that-their-value-lies-in/) [Jennifer Siebel Newsom](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jennifer-siebel-newsom/) > [Boys and boys' body image and clothes have become just as important an issue for boys as for girls.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rosalind-wiseman/boys-and-boys-body-image-and-clothes-have-become-just-as-important-an/) [Rosalind Wiseman](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rosalind-wiseman/) > [By making conscious choices in our behavior and where we focus our attention, we can transform our experience of our body, decrease our biological…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/deepak-chopra/by-making-conscious-choices-in-our-behavior-and-where-we-focus-our/) [Deepak Chopra](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/deepak-chopra/) > [Racism is a cancer. 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Modern day diseases are mostly psychosomatic.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mata-amritanandamayi/if-japa-is-maintained-no-useless-talk-during-work-will-be-possible/) [Mata Amritanandamayi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mata-amritanandamayi/) > [It is the incongruous thing in my entire life, this isolation.. ... My work requires it - but I myself have no need or…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marsden-hartley/it-is-the-incongruous-thing-in-my-entire-life-this-isolation-my-work/) [Marsden Hartley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marsden-hartley/) > [My friends, this body - perhaps more than any other gathering in human history - now faces that difficult task.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/leonardo-dicaprio/my-friends-this-body-perhaps-more-than-any-other-gathering-in-human/) [Leonardo DiCaprio](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/leonardo-dicaprio/) [Browse all 20,814 Body quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/body/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "The thought of going through a bone marrow transplant, which in my case called for a life-threatening dose of chemotherapy followed by a total replacement of my body's bone marrow, was scary enough. 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