An Emory University Hospital patient recently prepared to celebrate a “birthday†with family, friends and caregivers – but this was no typical birthday according to any calendar or tradition.
Instead, cheerful songs and celebratory clapping echoed through the halls of the Bone Marrow Transplant Unit at Emory University Hospital, as always when a potentially life-saving bone marrow transplant is about to occur. And the tradition did not stop on May 20, as the unit physicians, nursing staff, patients and hospital administrators gathered to celebrate the 3000th transplant.
Encouraged by Emory’s success, Edmund Waller, MD, PhD, director of Emory’s Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Transplant Center says, “While 3,000 is a nice round number, it’s the middle of a growing and successful program. After 3,000 procedures, I know we all look forward to the future of this program.â€
Bone marrow transplants are undertaken to treat a number of diseases, including leukemia, Hodgkins disease, non-Hodgkins lymphoma, multiple myeloma and other blood disorders, and Emory University Hospital has done more than any other hospital in Georgia.
“This is a significant milestone for Emory University Hospital,†says Chief Operating Officer Robert Bachman. “Thousands of people have benefited from Emory’s contributions to advancing this life-saving procedure.â€
