In April 2014 Keira Kilbane was given a chance at life. She was in need of a bone marrow transplant after her leukemia returned and no immediate family members were a match. Fortunately Benjamin Schulz was a match for Keira and was willing to go through the bone marrow donation process. This donation spanned the… The post The Gift of Life from Across the Seas appeared first on Keira Kilbane Foundation ..read more

What is a transfusion? And when does one receive a transfusion? A transfusion is the process of giving someone various blood components from a donor. Blood cannot be manufactured and it can only come from generous donors. About 30 million blood components are transfused each year in the US. Red blood cells are your body’s… The post Transfusions 101 appeared first on Keira Kilbane Foundation ..read more

What is an infection? Infection is invasion of the body by disease-causing organisms. These organisms include bacteria, virus, and fungi. Ordinarily, a healthy immune system can effectively fight off these pathogens. In severe cases, your physicians can prescribe antimicrobial agents to treat and eliminate most of these organisms. Why are cancer patients more prone to infections?… The post Infection in Cancer Patients appeared first on Keira Kilbane Foundation ..read more

What is chemotherapy? Chemotherapy are medicines that are often used to treat cancer. There are many different types of chemotherapy and these medicines work in a variety of ways to kill cancer cells. Chemotherapy agents are often medicines that kill rapidly growing cells. Cancer cells often grow very fast, making them highly susceptible to killing… The post Chemotherapy appeared first on Keira Kilbane Foundation ..read more

It has now been one year since our daughter, Keira passed away after battling leukemia most of her life. My husband and I decided to honor her memory and support those children currently battling childhood cancer by shaving our heads. To some, it might seem odd that we waited until after Keira was no longer… The post Tribute to Children Battling Childhood Cancer appeared first on Keira Kilbane Foundation ..read more

What is Leukemia? Leukemia is a type of cancer of the blood and bone marrow. It usually develops in the bone marrow- the spongy tissue inside the bones. The bone marrow is the “factory“ which produces all the cells in our blood. Here is a diagram of blood cell production with the different types of… The post Leukemia appeared first on Keira Kilbane Foundation ..read more

What is a clinical trial? Clinical trials are research studies which involve the participation of people. They are conducted after a lot of preliminary work has been done in the research labs. Participants in clinical trials receive specific interventions according to the research plan developed by the investigators. These interventions may be treatment with medications,… The post Clinical Trials appeared first on Keira Kilbane Foundation ..read more

What is Cancer Immunotherapy? Immunotherapy is a new class of cancer treatment that works to harness the innate powers of the body’s immune system to fight cancer. Immunotherapy works by either stimulating the patient’s own immune system to attack cancer cells or by treating the patient with another person’s immune cells to fight cancer cells.… The post Immunotherapy appeared first on Keira Kilbane Foundation ..read more

What is Infant Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL)? Infant ALL is a relatively uncommon type of leukemia and occurs in children less than 12 months of age. It occurs in approximately 2-4 percent of all childhood ALL cases. Research has shown that infant ALL represents a distinct and unique biological subtype of leukemia. The prognosis for… The post Infant ALL appeared first on Keira Kilbane Foundation ..read more

In April 2014 Keira Kilbane was given a chance at life. She was in need of a bone marrow transplant after her leukemia returned and no immediate family members were a match. Fortunately Benjamin Schulz was a match for Keira and was willing to go through the bone marrow donation process. This donation spanned the… The post The Gift of Life from Across the Seas appeared first on Keira Kilbane Foundation ..read more