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18th Annual Smithsonian Magazine Photo Contest People
I Don't Want to Do This to You

In March, 2018, my grandmother Ruth was diagnosed with AML-MRC, Acute Myeloid Leukemia, with myelodysplastic related changes. It originated as a disease called Myelodysplastic Syndrome, or MDS. She was 70 years old at the time. On December 3rd of 2019, she underwent a life-saving bone marrow stem cell transplant. On a cellular level, she is a new human. We are eternally grateful to her anonymous donor, one of only a few on earth who was a perfect genetic match. This transplant was overwhelming and frightening for both her and our family. The preparation for this transplant was stressful and uncertain; my mother had to cut her mother's hair to prepare for it to fall out, as a result of the transplant and the chemotherapy. Seeing my mother cut her own mother's hair and cry, saying, "I don't want to do this to you.." was more difficult than I could ever describe.

Photo Detail
Date Taken: 02.2020
Date Uploaded: 09.2020
Photo Location: Gilbert, Arizona, United States of America
Copyright: © Chloe Koebel