Schwartz, who has battled acute myeloid leukemia for more than 20 months and had been in remission since June 9, learned earlier this month that her cancer had returned for a third time. The news came just weeks before Schwartz was scheduled to receive a potentially life-saving stem cell transplant Aug. The results of this biopsy, due Monday, will determine whether Schwartz will receive the transplant in the coming weeks.
For Schwartz, the long struggle with cancer began in December After withdrawing from Yale for the semester to receive treatment, she spent days in the hospital in Canada and was released with a clean bill of health in May Eleven months later, the year old learned that her cancer had returned, and she entered chemotherapy for the second time in April The two cord blood matches located for Schwartz in early August cropped up after extensive searching.
With the stem cell donations for her transplant finally located, Schwartz was on the brink of a potentially life-saving procedure when her cancer surged again — postponing the transplant and requiring her to undergo more chemotherapy. But just two days ago, Schwartz had to return to the hospital after she began running a fever, her mother, Carol Schwartz, said Thursday.
While the fever itself is no longer a major concern, she said, it may be a symptom of more serious health matters. If results from current tests show that the fever is not a symptom of a relapse, Mandi Schwartz is set to be discharged in time for her biopsy today, her mother said. The family traveled from Saskatchewan to Seattle by RV after Schwartz had been declared in remission for the second time and was discharged from Pasqua Hospital in Saskatchewan on July Still, while summer has been a time of medical ups and downs for Schwartz, her family, friends and teammates, along with members of the Yale community, have continued to rally behind her — recruiting donors, generating publicity and raising awareness about her plight.
The trip, which served as a fundraiser and aimed to raise awareness of the need for bone marrow and stem cell donors, began Aug. MacLean said she has been in touch with Schwartz over the summer, noting that her teammate has been biking this summer and seemed well when they last spoke. Still, MacLean said Schwartz does not complain. A self-described New Haven-based clinical immunologist, Collins, 53, had been at the forefront of the quest to locate a bone marrow or cord blood match for Schwartz.
