Acosta, Niel Algrin F.
Ambrosio, Hairene M.
BSEd-Science 3
Mrs. Algeline S.Herrera
Osseous Myelo
The systems we choose are:
Lymphatic System
Skeletal System
Nervous System
Lymphoma is a cancer of the lymphatic
system, which is part of the body's germfighting network.
Primary lymphoma of the bone is an
extremely rare tumor in the form of
non-Hodgkin lymphoma or Hodgkin
lymphoma. The majority of primary
bone lymphomas are non-Hodgkin
lymphoma, of which the most
common subtype is diffuse large cell
lymphoma. The skeletal system and
lymphatic system work interdependently to protect the body by the bone marrow. Since the bone
marrow is on of the largest regions that produces white blood cells, as well as red blood cells
that continuum the organ system of the immune system as a whole, these white blood cells now
after originating from the bone marrow proceeds to the lymphatic system which kills and
destroys antibodies, bacteria, viruses, other harmful microorganisms.
Family—always important to Frank Santos, wife Heather and son Butch—took on new
meaning after Frank was diagnosed with stage 3 PLB (Primary lymphoma of the bone)
in 2009 at age 44. Where PLB destroys healthy tissue and weakens the bone, some
patients may develop pathologic bone fractures in the area of the tumor. This is more
common if the tumor develops in weight-bearing areas of the skeleton like the pelvis,
spine, or femur (thighbone). Other symptoms of PLB may include: Fatigue. And
sometimes starts in your central nervous system and isn't growing anywhere else when
you are diagnosed. It usually develops in your brain but it can also affect your eyes. This
is called intraocular lymphoma. Over the next four years of treatments, recurrences,
complications and changes in their lives, the Santos came to see each other in a different
light and to think of members of Frank’s medical team at Saint Luke's as family, as well.
Take the day Frank received a breathless call from physician’s assistant Linda Pereda.
After three years of treatments that included a transplant of bone marrow harvested from
Frank’s own body, Frank needed a second transplant, this time from a donor. The tissue
types of patient and donor must match. Otherwise, the patient’s body may reject the
transplant or the transplanted cells may attack the patient’s body. Frank’s family members
had been tested, and the Santos were awaiting the results. As Pereda excitedly told Frank
that his brother Eddie was a perfect match, Frank could hear the nurses in the bone
marrow unit whooping with elation in the background.
“They were so happy for me,” he recalls. “I got off the phone and said, ‘That was like my
four sisters calling me.’”
The transplant itself was a test of family ties. Frank and his brother weren’t on good terms
at the time, and Frank knew Eddie had a fear of doctors and needles. “It was really hard
for me to go down to his house and break the news,” Frank says. “When he opened the
door, I started to cry and said, ‘I’m really sorry; you’re a perfect match.’” His brother
assured him it was all right. In fact, the transplant reopened communication between the
brothers and now, Frank says, “We’re back to the way we used to be when we were
younger.”
“We’ve gone through this horrible trauma… but we’re still here, and we’re together
and looking forward.”
The cancer experience changed the Santos family in other ways, like emotional stress
and traumatic dilemmas. Before the illness, Frank ran the tile installation business he’d
worked at since his teen years and taken over in his late twenties after his father died.
But cancer and its repercussions made the once-hulking Santos too weak to heft a single
box of tile or clamber up and down stairs like he once had, so he gave up the only line of
work he’d ever known, and Heather, who’d previously worked only “for fun,” became the
breadwinner.
The transition was difficult, but it helped that the Santos had shared responsibilities
throughout their marriage. “Our marriage was always a partnership, regardless of what
our roles were,” Heather says. “So even though there was that adjustment, it was just a
matter of reallocating our responsibilities; the partnership was still there. It was also a
matter of making a choice not to live in the negative but to live in gratitude. … Yes, we’ve
gone through this horrible trauma, and it’s been emotional and financial and all these
things have been so impacted. But we’re still here, and we’re together and looking
forward.”
As their roles shifted, Frank admired more than ever the intelligence with which Heather
pursued her career goals, and Heather came to appreciate the fact that Frank’s strength
went beyond the physical. “The things that he has had to psychologically endure, I don’t
know if I could,” she says. “I really admire him for that.”
Both parents rallied to help son Butch, 18, cope with seeing his father change from a
powerhouse who was always in motion—building and fixing things, planning what to do
next—to someone who could hardly muster the energy to take 10 steps. Even the family
dogs Stella and Violet did their part, keeping Butch company when Frank and Heather
spent long hours at the hospital and sitting with Frank when he didn’t feel well.
Now that Frank is feeling much, much better and shows no signs of cancer, the family is
moving into a new phase: finding ways to offer support and hope to other patients at Saint
Luke's. A first step was participating in the Center’s Paws for the Cause fundraising dog
walk in October, where Butch played drums with two bands that entertained the crowd.
“It was the first time in a long time that I’d been to Saint Luke's for something that wasn’t
a treatment or a test,” Frank says, “and it was great.”
The End…