In appreciation of doctors

(March 29, 2007, San Antonio)

Bexar County Medical Society (BCMS) and South Texas Blood & Tissue Center (STBTC) are joining together to show appreciation for our area physicians. National Doctors’ Day is Friday, March 30th – a day set aside to thank doctors for their caring, skill and support of their patients. Doctors play a crucial role in the well-being of a community by encouraging healthy lifestyles and promoting wellness campaigns. Doctors also advance medical knowledge, providing new treatments to alleviate the suffering. There are 3,088 active doctors in San Antonio, along with 501 UTHSC doctors and 315 military doctors.

In appreciation for doctors, STBTC and BCMS are dedicating the weekend of March 30th to doctors. Come by the South Texas Blood & Tissue Center headquarters at 6211 IH 10 West, Friday, March 30th through Sunday, April 1st. A giant “Thank You!” banner will be available for you to sign as a way of expressing appreciation for your physician. A more practical expression of gratitude is to donate blood, make an appointment to donate platelets or sign up to join the National Marrow Donor Program.

Two San Antonio doctors are glad to share their stories. One doctor is on the receiving end of medical care. Another has gladly donated peripheral stem cells twice. Here are their stories.

Dr. Kenneth Piest has been a physician for 18 years. Now, he needs blood and platelets to sustain him while he searches for a bone marrow match. 

“I am an ophthalmic plastic and reconstructive surgeon. I deal with the difficult problems around the eye, such as children with birth defects, cancers and broken facial bones.

On February 24, 2006, I was diagnosed with AML leukemia. It was a shock. I had not really been ill. In the span of one hour I went from having a normal Friday afternoon to a cancer patient needing immediate care. I was hospitalized that evening, started on chemotherapy right away and spent the next 52 days in the hospital undergoing treatment.

Leukemia is a very frustrating and serious illness. The cancer cells develop from an error in a person’s bone marrow. The bone marrow produces the cells we need to survive. The first step in treating leukemia is to stop the leukemia cells from taking over the bone marrow. Unfortunately, chemotherapy does not kill only the cancer cells, but also the good cells. The leukemia patient’s life depends upon support from others. We must have regular transfusions of red blood cells and platelets. Without them we die.

With leukemia, especially the AML type, recurrence is the rule and remission does not usually last long. Each time the leukemia recurs, it becomes harder to get it back in remission. Once I was in remission, the search for a bone marrow donor began. Unfortunately, my search with the National Marrow Donor Program yielded no matches – not a single one.

There are between three to six million registered donors in America. Yet the population in our country will reach 300 million this year! This means that only one to two percent of the population of our great country is registered as a potential donor.

This saddens me from many aspects. I have been a physician for 18 years and have personally treated thousands of cancer patients. Yet, now there is no resource for me. Why are so few people registered? Too many people are dying simply because there are not enough potential donors.”

 

Dr. Michael Finnie, a physician in Family Medicine in San Antonio has donated peripheral stem cells twice. Here is his story:

Dr. Finnie registered with the NMDP in 1991 when a classmate’s sister was dying and needed a marrow transplant. He went to the blood center in Houston to give platelets and was tested to be a marrow donor. 

In December 1999, Dr. Finnie was found to be a matching donor for a 20-year-old male that was battling acute myelogenous leukemia. The patient’s best chance for survival was a marrow or stem cell transplant. On January 6 & 7, 2000, Dr. Finnie donated peripheral blood stem cells for the young man. Dr. Finnie and his recipient have remained in contact. After serving in the military, the patient continues to do well. 

In January 2002, Dr. Finnie was once again found to be a possible match for another patient. Further testing and results proved he was the most compatible donor for the 71-year-old male. In August, Dr. Finnie once again donated stem cells for the gentleman. Unfortunately the patient passed away less than a year later.

Dr. Finnie truly cares for his patients and says that being a match and donating stem cells for his recipients has been very special for him. He has been able to treat and care for his patients as a physician and has donated stem cells as a human being.

“..to be a match and do the donations have been the most memorable experiences for me. I have the picture keepsake on my desk because it was so important, worthwhile and very special to me.”

To donate blood or platelets you must be at least 17 years of age weigh at least 110 pounds and be in good general health. Platelet donors are asked not to take any product containing aspirin for 3 days prior to donation.

To join the National Marrow Donor Program, you must be between 18 and 60 years old and be in good general health.