In the fall of 2014, our family became members of a club we knew nothing about – the Bone Marrow & Stem Cell Transplant club. Our youngest brother was going through his second battle with cancer. Adrian was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma and needed a stem cell transplant. Our mother, Aura, had died only 4 years earlier from leukemia, so we were familiar with cancer, chemo and all of the struggles that went with it. This time would be different. This time, there was hope.

Adrian moved into our home in central Florida and we learned what it meant to be primary caregivers. His transplant was done on March 31, 2015. We were one of the very lucky families – we had excellent doctors and a great support system with a big family to love us all through it. But some of the other patients were not as lucky.

What most people don’t know is that a primary caregiver is a requirement for receiving a life-saving bone marrow or stem cell transplant. I had the luxury of working remotely so I could be there as much as my brother needed me. We never gave it a second thought until we heard that one of the patients was going home without a life-saving transplant because there was no one available to be his caregiver. Most insurance doesn’t cover expenses for the caregiver and most transplant centers will not allow the transplant without a caregiver. The procedure is simply too extreme for someone to successfully undergo and recover from without a dedicated loved one to give undivided attention.

Aura of Hope exists to support the needs of the caregivers so that the bone marrow and stem cell transplant patients they love so much will have someone beside them through the fight of their life. Cancer is a difficult road and no one should have to walk it alone.