Facing the long road ahead

By Brian Witter

Junior Edward Kirby knows what it means to be thankful. The 22-year-old Boston native left the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in his hometown last Wednesday after a successful bone marrow transplant.

But Kirby already knew what to expect when he entered the hospital last December for leukemia treatment.

He was first diagnosed with bone marrow cancer in fall 2002 and was prescribed six months of chemotherapy to eradicate malignant cells lingering in his blood.

While he responded well to the treatment and returned to classes two years ago, he received some startling results during a routine blood screening around Thanksgiving.

"I was back in Boston for break and feeling fine," he said. His doctor said his platelet count was off, so they ran some more tests and performed a biopsy -- by drilling into his bone and taking out some marrow samples.

"It came back cancer, again." Now, Kirby takes about 50 pills a day to fight leukemia.

About 31,000 are diagnosed with this form of cancer every year in the United States, and about 4.5 million are battling it worldwide.

Robert Soiffer, Kirby's doctor, told him he had a few days to come back to school and collect his personal items -- and say goodbye to his friends. Treatment had to begin as soon as possible.

This time, he would not only face chemotherapy and radiation, but he would also be on the waiting list for a bone marrow donor.

"The day I found out I had to get a transplant was definitely the worst day of this whole ordeal," Kirby said.

Normal red and white blood cells form in bone marrow. With leukemia, white blood cells that are intended to fight infection, are abnormally produced there.

One symptom causes a large growth of the infected cells, which "crowd out" normal cells and causes a collapse of the circulatory system and other bodily functions.

"When I first met Ed, he had so much optimism," associate history professor and friend Arthur Liebscher, S.J., said after visiting Kirby in the hospital last month. "I'm confident he'll make it back to us."

Locating a bone marrow donor can be long and tedious, but Kirby was lucky and found one almost immediately. He entered the first stages of chemotherapy and drug admission around mid-December.

If the patient's siblings don't prove to be a genetic match, a donor is usually found through a national donor registry for which about half of the needy patients are provided with a match.

Kirby's transplant was completed Jan. 29, in only a few hours.

"You really have so much free time when you're waiting for the procedure," said Kirby, describing the experience. "I literally sat there and played video games during the transplant."

In addition to the samples rejecting their new host, infection is another concern as his immune system is significantly sensitive to diseases due to decreased white blood cell counts. While he was in the hospital, Kirby's parents sterilized their entire home. He is not able to have carpet or curtains in his bedroom.

"I'm feeling optimistic," Kirby said. "Everything is going well as of now, but it's still not easy. One thing that is keeping me going though is the thought of everyone back at Santa Clara. I keep in contact with so many people that it feels like I'm right back in the bubble sometimes."

When Kirby had his first bout with leukemia in 2002, many students and administrators came together in an outpouring of support through fund raising and a bone marrow drive.

Support for Kirby in his more recent battle has been generous but somewhat subtle. Michele Helms, nurse practitioner and physician's assistant at Cowell Student Health Center, was the first to treat Kirby when he went to her with symptoms of nausea over two years ago.

In December, Helms designed a bracelet bearing Kirby's initials and gave them to the men's lacrosse team and Sigma Pi fraternity, both of which he is a member.

"The first time this happened, we organized a bone marrow drive and marathon, but this time I wanted people to remember him," Helms said.

"Those yellow Lance Armstrong bracelets were so popular so I thought I'd ask Ed about distributing some to his friends and what color he thought was appropriate. Since the Red Sox had just won the World Series miraculously, he said to me, 'Michele, I need a miracle, too.' So we went with red and white bracelets, Santa Clara colors."

Kirby has played as goalkeeper for the Santa Clara men's club lacrosse team since 2001. His presence on the field this season for the Broncos has been missed.

"When he didn't come back after winter break, not only had we lost a goalie, but it also seemed that there was a fun element to the team that wasn't there anymore," teammate Nick Dieringer said.

Kirby often feels fatigued, but says he is still in good spirits.

It will take six months to a year before doctors fully know whether or not the bone marrow transplant has worked and all possible traces of cancer have disappeared.

"As much as I like to sit in a hospital bed and watch reruns of 'Las Vegas' with James Caan, it's great to be back home and eat real food," Kirby said. "It excites me that much more to get back to Santa Clara and just finish up school. It's been a long time coming."

* Contact Brian Witter at (408) 554-4546 or at bwitter@scu.edu.