A Vietnamese girl adopted by a Swiss family underwent a stem cell transplant last Friday, months after she was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. Joon Gremillet, 18, is under special care at the Geneva General Hospital with visits restricted to protect her from infections, given that her immune system drops close to zero, according to a post on the blog site Help Joon, which was opened to look for a matching donor by her adoptive father Patrick Gremillet, a senior program coordinator at the United Nations Development Program. Patrick received Joon from a maternity hospital in Hai Phong in northern Vietnam and she has grown up with the family, traveling through Laos, Thailand, US, Austria and France. Joon, who started her university studies last year in Geneva, was diagnosed with leukemia last May. She was hospitalized immediately and received chemotherapy before the search began for a bone marrow donor that considerably increases chances of survival. The father said a donor was a stressful issue as Joon was adopted and there was little chance of finding a matching donor in her current community. He said there are also few Asians, and Vietnamese in particular, who are enrolled in the international stem … Continue reading →

RIDGEWOOD Its been almost two months since Ed Schwartz learned he has an aggressive form of blood cancer that could kill him. The 46-year-old environmentalist from Ridgewood needs a stem cell transplant to elevate his chances of surviving his acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis from 15- to 60-percent. Temple Beth Israel on Grove Street will host a donor drive on Sunday, aimed at finding possible matches for Schwartz, who has been undergoing chemotherapy treatments since learning of his cancer. Acute myeloid leukemia is a cancer that attacks the blood-forming tissue of the bone marrow. During the donor drive, which runs from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., healthy people ages 18 to 44 will undergo a cheek swab. Volunteers must be willing to donate to any patient. Theres a catch, though: An Ashkenazi Jewish man, Schwartz needs to find a match who is also of Russian, Hungarian and Polish decent. Thats very specific, but we recently learned that out of the 22 million on the donor registry, theres not a single match for me, Schwartz said. People have been so supportive these last two months, and Im just hoping we get a good turnout, he added, because the more donors you get, … Continue reading →

Hagop Semerjian is a picture of good health. PHOTO COURTESY OF HEIDI RAKER GOLDSTEIN Hagop 'Jack' Semerjian, far right, with his family at Semerjian Shoes in Westwood. Originally from Syria, the family came to the United States in the mid 2000s so Jack could get a stem cell transplant to cure him of a rare immune disorder. The family eventually settled in Westwood where they made a home and started their family business. From left: Karni, Onnig, the owner, Ani and Hagop Semerjian. While standing slightly shorter than the average 18-year-old boy, his father, Onnig, who is the owner of Westwood's Semerjian Shoes on Center Avenue, says he still has some growing to do. Last month, he finished his last round of medications, which included antibiotics that he had been taking all of his life to combat a rare hereditary immune disorder that left him sick for most of his childhood. "It's surreal," he says of no longer having to take medication. "I've been on it so long. I used to always go to the hospital..." Hagop, whom his peers call Jack, pulls his hood back upon entering the store, fashioned with modernized-style dcor, on the rainy afternoon of Dec. … Continue reading →