When Kyle Tanner learned he had Fanconi anemia at age 16, he didnt understand the toll the bone marrow disease would take on him.

It made definitely me anxious and it made me more inclined to do things that I wouldnt have otherwise did if I didnt know I had a life-threatening disease, Tanner said.

He lived his life as though nothing was wrong, but did his research. Tanner learned everything he could about Fanconi anemia information about serious health risks such as bone marrow failure, physical abnormalities and the risk of of getting cancer.

It kind of made me stop caring about what people thought about me, Tanner said. It made more empathetic.

Doctors informed Tanner that by 19 he would likely need a bone marrow transplant. Time passed. He hoped the procedure wouldn't be necessary. Then November 2016, the 22-year-old Hudson senior was informed by his doctor that he would have to undergo a bone marrow transplant to save his life.

As Tanners final exams approached, he decided to go through with the operation.

Anxious and uncertain, the Central Michigan University student missed the entire spring 2017 semester and traveled to Minnesota for his first transplant. He second transplant would come a week later.

It has been two months since Tanner received the transplants. Its an experience that has tested his strength, he said, and changed his outlook on life.

Now that I went through a transplant, (Im) feeling the very physical aspects of it with the mental aspects (of the disease), he said.

Due to regulations in the donor program, Tanner cannot know the name of his donor who helped rebuild his life. All he knows is that a 20-year-old from Germany saved his life. He plans to send the man a letter that explains the magnitude of what he did for him.

Im extremely grateful, Tanner said. Im sure I will be for the rest of my life. That was an essential part of the process. If he wouldnt have been able to donate, I would have had to get another donor. Im extremely grateful for that person. I hope to one day tell them how important that was for me.

Tanner has symptoms like fevers and rapid hair loss that ends in rapid hair growth on his face while he recovers. In an effort to reduce exposure to bacteria and virus, Tanner must wear a mask.

It hasnt been an easy journey.

Kyle Tanner walks around his room on March 5 after being attached to an IV pole for approximately 33 days on the fourth floor of the University of Minnesota Masonic Childrens Hospital. He inspects his central line, the former bridge between him and the IV.

Receiving the transplants

After two weeks of tests, Tanner was admitted Jan. 31 to the University of Minnesota Masonic Childrens Hospital.

Before being admitted into the hospital, Tanner met a six-year-old boy who went through a transplant. The child told him, Get ready for a lot of pain and suffering, with a smile on his face.

Tanner laughed it off.

Is this really what he means, or is he saying it because its funny? Tanner thought. I came to learn he definitely wasnt saying it to be funny.

After radiation and chemotherapy, Tanner received his first bone marrow transplant on Feb. 7. His new marrow came imported from Germany via a donor paired with Tanner through the Be the Match bone marrow donor registry.

(The operation) was actually pretty uneventful, Tanner said. Its like a glorified blood transfusion. You dont even feel it.

However, the company sent too few cells to be effective, and Tanner needed a second transplant. After a period of anxiousness and waiting, Tanner learned his donor would be able to give a second set of cells. His second transplant was on Feb. 17. This time he received a stem-cell transplant, and doctors took blood from his donors vein and converted it to bone marrow.

Tanner said he felt relief. He felt the stress that was lifted off his shoulders.

Its insane that you can save someones life by giving them your bone marrow, Tanner said.

Mary Tanner,left,and Hartland junior Santino Mattioli,right, help Kyle Tanner pack to move on March 5 from the University of Minnesota Masonic Childrens Hospital into the Ronald McDonald House. I feel like Im just going to enjoy very small things that before I would want to rush through, that Im going to slow down while Im doing, and not be in such a rush to get somewhere else, Tanner said.

Support from family and friends

What he appreciates the most is walking. Hell get up when he can, shuffling up and down the hospital halls. Bundled up and donning a face mask, Tanner said he finds strength in the stories of other young patients dealing with the same disease. The beacons of optimism are children often ages 2 to 8 years old.

Their positive spirit helps maintain Tanners optimism.

Even though theyre going through really tough times, they have a big smile on their face, Tanner said. That definitely makes me happy that they are able to embrace the situation. They may not know the situation theyre going through, but its nice to see someone smile and theyre going through the same thing Im going through.

When he isnt walking, he is laying in his hospital bed with his mother on a couch by his side.

Mary Tanner has been with her son every step of the way.

He appreciates everything more and just simple things in life, Mary Tanner said. Hes got to think twice before he does anything to know if its going to endanger his life.

Tanner left his life at CMU behind, but that didnt stop his closest CMU friends from traveling more than 675 miles to see him.

Hartland junior Santino Mattioli was Tanners roommate in 2014-15 in Herrig Hall Room 010. The two formed an instant friendship by playing games like Mario Kart.

During spring break, Mattioli and some friends traveled to Minnesota to visit Tanner in the hospital. Mattioli and Tanner played video games again and hung out once again, just like when they first met.

Mattioli said although Tanner looked tired, his spirit never diminished.

You learn so much in the hard parts of your life, Mattioli said. For him to go through something like that, you learn a lot about yourself, you grow personally and (grow) stronger when you make it through it. Hes not a different person now, but you can tell hes got a different perspective.

Kyle Tanner lays in his bed on March 4 at the University of Minnesotas Masonic Childrens Hospital. Its definitely a roller coaster where the highs are at ground level, Tanner said. The good days are the days where, you know, nothing really big is happening, nothing bad is happening. You dont feel great, but the thing is you dont feel terrible.

Come home soon

Tanner will remain at a Ronald McDonald House in the Minneapolis area for a full 100 days so doctors can monitor his condition. During his stay, he has returned to the hospital with a fever, due to complications.

You cant be happy here all the time its impossible, he said. But being able to accept what youre going through, and realize what really happens is not in your hands what really happens, I think thats really important.

Despite some setbacks, the Hudson native continues to receive letters and cards from friends and family back home. He is looking forward to returning to the state he holds dear in his heart.

I like Michigan, but what really makes Michigan for me is the people that I have there that I look forward to seeing again, he said.

Tanner said he hopes for the day where he can go out to eat and not shower with a cord connected to monitors and equipment. He said he didnt go to the movies that often before his transplant now he cant wait to go to the theaters.

Doing nothing is something that I miss, Tanner said. Im doing nothing now, but theres really nobody around except my mom and I dont always feel great. Ill feel better and more comfortable in a home setting.

Tanner hopes to leave Minnesota in May and return to CMU this fall. His goal is to earn his bachelors degree in Broadcast and Cinematic Arts in May 2018.

Im going to be grateful for the time I spend with my family and being able to enjoy the little things, Tanner said. It brings out things in you that you didnt really know you enjoyed.

There are days where Tanner feels down, but he has a different outlook on life. He said he is a better person for having gone through this.

This whole experience isnt going to leave me, he said. Even right now, I dont completely realize how its changed me.

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Finding the right match - Central Michigan Life

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