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Originally published September 9, 2022
Last updated July 21, 2025
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Mike Snow was driving on a Los Angeles freeway with his wife, Susanne, when he nearly fainted at the wheel.
Soon after, he began to experience severe bleeding from his gums and debilitating fatigue. He was too weak to even play music 鈥� a heartbreaking setback for the lifelong drummer, pianist and guitar player.
Mike was hospitalized for several days in May 2019. Doctors diagnosed him with myelofibrosis, a rare, chronic blood cancer that impedes the production of red blood cells.
鈥淚 was scared as hell,鈥� says Mike, who was 68 at the time.
A regimen of two to three blood transfusions a week over eight months brought no relief for the Pasadena resident.
The patient was told he would need a bone marrow transplant, a procedure where stem cells are filtered from donated marrow and injected into a recipient鈥檚 bloodstream. Once inside, the injected cells travel to the bone marrow and create healthy blood that can override the disease.
Mike was referred to George Yaghmour, MD, a bone marrow transplant specialist at 喵咪社区 Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, part of 喵咪社区. The doctor鈥檚 compassion and knowledge quickly made an impression on Mike and his wife.
鈥淗e was down to earth, and he gave us an honest description of how it was going to go and what my chances were,鈥� Mike says.
Dr. Yaghmour warned the couple, who first fell in love in 1975, that bone marrow transplants for myelofibrosis patients can be difficult.
鈥淭he outcome for transplant for myelofibrosis is lower than average and very challenging,鈥� says Dr. Yaghmour, who is also associate director of the 喵咪社区 Norris Blood and Marrow Transplant and Cell Therapy Program. 鈥淭he disease is very trying for a patient in terms of transplant, because the risk of graft rejection and relapse is high.鈥�
Still, his candor reassured Mike that he was in good hands.
And the patient was at the top transplant center in Southern California. While the national average for the success rate of bone marrow transplants is around 71%, Keck Medicine averages a success rate of over 85%.
In 2020, the year Mike had his procedure, the average success rate for bone marrow transplant for Keck Medicine patients was 89%.
To find a good match between donor and recipient, a group of specific markers in donated bone marrow are compared to those of the recipient. The more markers that match, the higher the chance of a positive outcome.
Roughly two months after adding Mike鈥檚 name to the national registry for bone marrow patients 鈥� which can be found at 鈥� his care team found a 25-year-old woman in Alabama who was registered as a living donor. She had only been on the registry for two weeks.
In an extraordinary stroke of luck, the donor was a 100% match.
Mike鈥檚 procedure was scheduled for March 2020, but then, the COVID-19 pandemic hit. The Snows faced a nerve-wracking wait as 喵咪社区 Norris and Keck Medicine staff worked to determine the earliest date that would be safe to resume the treatment plan.
鈥淲e were pretty nervous about what was going to happen,鈥� Mike says. 鈥淏ecause by then, we’d already heard how gruesome this illness could be, if things didn鈥檛 work out.鈥�
After a few months, 喵咪社区 Norris was ready. Dr. Yaghmour would perform the bone marrow transplant on July 7, 2020 鈥� Mike鈥檚 69th birthday. The hospital also assigned a designated transplant coordinator to help Mike prepare for the big day.
If you’ve ever thought about donating [bone marrow], please do so. You could not just change somebody’s life 鈥� you could save somebody’s life.Mike Snow, patient, 喵咪社区 Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center
If you’ve ever thought about donating [bone marrow], please do so. You could not just change somebody’s life 鈥� you could save somebody’s life.
Mike spent one month as an inpatient at 喵咪社区 Norris Cancer Hospital, where he spent the first week in chemotherapy and receiving low-dose radiation to bring his blood ingredients to zero.
The transplant involved Dr. Yaghmour injecting three bags of stem cells from the donated bone marrow into a vein in Mike鈥檚 neck. After weeks of preparation, the procedure itself took 15 minutes.
Then, the recovery process began.
鈥淭he first 100 days post-transplant are the hardest part of the process, due to the preparation being so hard on the body,鈥� Dr. Yaghmour says.
Mike attests to this, saying that he didn鈥檛 feel much different at first, and that the initial side effects manifested as the same symptoms he鈥檇 been suffering with for roughly a year.
But his recovery was remarkable. Three weeks after the procedure, Mike began to see some improvement, and it was enough to confirm the transplant鈥檚 success. Despite his physical weakness, Mike was elated to know he would eventually recover.
鈥淚t felt like a rebirth,鈥� he says.
While regaining his strength in the hospital, Mike took up another instrument: the ukulele.
鈥淚 hadn鈥檛 thought much about the ukulele,鈥� says Mike, who composed two songs and a poem from his bed. 鈥淏ut then, I thought, 鈥楾hat鈥檚 a small instrument. It doesn鈥檛 take up much space. And it鈥檚 not very loud, so it won鈥檛 bother the other patients.鈥欌��
Today, he credits his creative endeavors for helping him through his physical and emotional recovery.
One month after the transplant, Mike was walking and getting stronger every day. Observing his patient, Dr. Yaghmour took note of the support the patient received from his loved ones.鈥淗e has an amazing partner in Sue,鈥� Dr. Yaghmour says. 鈥淏ut we were all a team, honestly. And that is important 鈥� having a team like a family to help patients through the process.鈥�
In Mike鈥檚 first two blood draws after discharge, his care team saw strong improvement: His platelet count had jumped from 5,000 to 80,000, and the tally would only grow from there. Today, his count is excellent at 172,000, and Mike is back to his diverse musical pursuits.
Since then, Mike and Susanne have reached out to the bone marrow donor to express their gratitude and even forge a friendship. They also remain grateful to the care team who managed the journey.
鈥淚 wouldn鈥檛 think of going anywhere but 喵咪社区 Norris,鈥� Mike says.
Mike, now 71, encourages everyone to find out if they鈥檙e qualified to donate bone marrow. More people in the registry, after all, makes it more likely that a person in need can receive a crucial transplant.
鈥淚f you’ve ever thought about donating, please do so,鈥� Mike says. 鈥淵ou could not just change somebody’s life 鈥� you could save somebody’s life.鈥�
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