Cord Blood Saves Young Man’s Life

Ekong Udoh

In late 2002, at the age of 35, Ekong Udoh awoke with severe back pain. During the previous 15 years he had played semi-pro football and served as a marine in the Gulf War, so he was quite familiar with aches and pains. “I thought I had injured myself in the weight room,” Ekong remembered.

Yet the pain continued for weeks. Several visits to his local emergency room left him with temporary relief and unanswered questions. It wasn’t until he was examined at Loyola that Ekong learned he had a rare and extremely aggressive type of leukemia, or blood cancer.

Despite extensive chemotherapy, Ekong needed a stem cell transplant to increase his chances for survival. But with no relatives able to serve as a suitable donor, Loyola had to find another source for the stem cells that might save his life.

Loyola's Blood and Marrow Transplant Program is the largest in Illinois, having performed more than 2,500 transplants. Unlike most medical centers, Loyola has a full-time staff that performs global searches for stem cell donors, plus an on-site lab to process blood samples received from around the world. “Part of our success is our experience in selecting the best donor for each patient,” said Tulio Rodriguez, MD, Ekong’s oncologist and a medical director in the Blood and Marrow Transplant (BMT) Program at Loyola’s Cardinal Bernardin Cancer Center. “We are able to find a match for three out of four patients, which is an extremely high success rate.”

While many people know that stem cells from a donor’s bone marrow can help treat leukemia, far fewer people realize that blood from umbilical cords is another important source of stem cells. In the summer of 2003 the Loyola team located a cord blood match for Ekong. “I assume that the donor is from Africa since both of my parents are from Nigeria,” Ekong said.

“Ekong demonstrated tremendous perseverance,” Dr. Rodriguez recalled. “The median survival for patients with his disease is barely two years. We saw how difficult his case was and decided to offer him this hope for a cure. Ekong agreed.” Dr. Rodriguez performed the life-saving transplant, with support from every member of the BMT Program, from social workers to nursing staff and physicians. “Everyone treated me with compassion,” Ekong said. “They got to know me on a personal level. It showed they were sincerely concerned about me.”

Six years later, Ekong is a cancer survivor. His battle has inspired him to make a difference. In addition to working full time, he now coaches youth football, volunteers as a food bank driver and promotes cord blood donations among mothers and doctors. Ekong’s message is simple, yet powerful: “If enough people donate, many sick people can be cured.”

For more information on Loyola’s stem cell program and other approaches to fighting cancer, please call (888) LUHS-888 and ask for CAN-HELP Cancer Information Service.