Mom Donates Bone Marrow Stem Cells for Daughter’s Leukemia Battle

Straight to CHRISTUS Children’s

They immediately sought care – almost three hours away – in San Antonio at CHRISTUS Children's. 

When Brisi and Nora arrived at CHRISTUS Children’s, they were greeted by many cheerful, caring nurses as well as Nadia Cheek, MD, a pediatric hematology-oncology specialist in CHRISTUS Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Program. 

From moment one, I felt very hopeful once we got to Children’s, Nora said. I saw that Brisi was getting immediate care. Everyone we met was very open and sincere. When they told us they were going to do their very best for Brisi, I believed them immediately.

Dr. Cheek explained that more testing was necessary to determine what type of leukemia Brisi had and this would allow her to develop the best treatment plan to fight Brisi’s leukemia. Dr. Cheek was calm and reassuring, which Nora said gave her hope.

You hear ‘cancer’ and you think ‘death,’ Nora said. But once we met with Dr. Cheek, I knew we were in the best place for Brisi. I knew, at that moment, my daughter would get the best care possible.

Brisi said she was scared from the moment she heard the word “cancer” back in Eagle Pass. But, she admits, she was hyper-focused on the probability of losing her hair as a result of chemo.

I was 13 and I am very girly, Brisi said. I always had lots of super long hair. I know it seems silly now, but maybe I was focused on my hair so I didn’t have to focus on the reality of what having cancer could mean.

Testing Confirms Acute Myeloid Leukemia

Brisi had to remain at CHRISTUS Children’s for four days while several tests were completed, including a bone marrow aspiration and biopsy. The test results showed that she had acute myeloid leukemia, or AML. AML is a blood cancer that starts in the bone marrow and can progress rapidly if not treated with aggressive chemotherapy. It was at this time that they also learned Brisi might need a bone marrow transplant.

After her diagnosis was confirmed, Dr. Cheek needed additional information about the genetics of the leukemia cells to put a treatment plan in place. This information would take about a week to result and would help decide whether a transplant would be necessary. She did not have fever, signs of infection or electrolyte abnormalities, so Nora was able to take her daughter home for a week to prepare for the coming treatment. She returned to San Antonio for 10 days of chemotherapy, followed by a month-long hospitalization for supportive care.

Over the next few months, Brisi and her mom continued to travel back and forth from Eagle Pass to San Antonio for treatment. There were rounds of chemo, blood tests, procedures and biopsies to track and manage her treatment. These cycles were repeated until Brisi was officially declared to be in remission.

Three months later, in September 2020, like all her friends during the COVID-19 pandemic, Brisi started eighth grade virtually. While she was still recovering from two rounds of chemotherapy and still had more treatments ahead of her, she felt returning to school—even online—gave her a sense of normalcy. It reminded her of the life she was fighting for — one that would start after she recovered from her illness.

By November, the Mauricio family had so much to be grateful for when they celebrated Thanksgiving at home in 2020. At that time, Brisi was home spending time with her family away from the hospital. Unfortunately, her leukemia did not completely respond to her chemotherapy, and the genetics of her leukemia cells showed a high-risk feature (FLT3/ITD positive), so Brisi and her family were contemplating the next steps in her treatment – which would be a bone marrow transplant.

Bone Marrow Transplant: Yes or No?

A bone marrow transplant (also known as a stem cell transplant), or BMT, involves transplanting healthy bone marrow stem cells from a matching donor to both eradicate their leukemia as well as install a new immune system that can better surveil for leukemia, explained Laurie Davis, MD, PhD, a blood and marrow transplant physician at CHRISTUS Children’s. For patients with AML, transplant can reduce their chance of a relapse if their body doesn’t completely respond to chemotherapy, and thereby decreases the chance that the cancer can return after achieving remission.

Martin Andreansky, MD, PhD, the medical director of the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at CHRISTUS Children’s, explained the option of a BMT to Brisi’s parents. He informed them that because of her higher risk disease that without a BMT, there was a 50 percent chance that her AML could relapse. He also explained that relapsed leukemia, in particular AML, can be harder to cure in certain situations and that a BMT could give her a greater chance of a sustained cure.

Once Brisi was finally in remission, she and her family faced a tough decision: should they put her through more treatment?

We knew a BMT was optional, and we had to decide if we wanted her to go through it, Nora said. We wanted her to be well, of course, but we also knew the potential side effects.

Brisi, now 18, said she had so many emotions during this time. She was happy to have the chemo in the rearview mirror but wasn’t sure whether she wanted to go through with the BMT.

I was scared my body might reject the transplanted cells but, at the same time, I was relieved because there was something we could do to try to keep the cancer from coming back.

When they met Dr. Andreansky, lovingly known as “Dr. A” by his patients and their families, the decision to proceed with Brisi’s BMT was clear.

Dr. A explained everything to us in complete detail, Brisi said. I really understood what I was going to go through, and I was happy he wasn’t sugarcoating anything. He was telling me what was going to be done. I really wanted the facts. I wanted as many details as he could give me. I wanted to know about any side effects that I could experience. After speaking with him, I knew going ahead with the BMT was the right thing for me and my future.

Brisi’s Peripheral Blood Stem Cell Transplant Journey

After deciding to proceed, Brisi’s three siblings were tested to determine if they could be her donor, but none was a match. Then her mother, Nora, was tested and found out she was a match! For the type of transplant Brisi was going to receive, her mother’s stem cells would be collected from her blood using a special machine that can separate out the specific cells needed. Her stem cells were collected in the BMT clinic on December 14, 2020, and Brisi’s transplant happened the next day.

While Nora’s procedure wasn’t too painful, Brisi’s recovery was much more intense. She stayed admitted at CHRISTUS Children’s for six more weeks, spending both Christmas and New Year’s Eve in the hospital.

By April 2021, the family was back home in Eagle Pass, but traveled to CHRISTUS Children’s several times a week for her follow-ups. Brisi completed her freshman year at home and by sophomore year she was able to return to school in person with the rest of her friends.

There are many milestones in BMT, one major one is when your new immune system is mature enough to protect you and you can start to live a more normal life. When the patient achieves this milestone, and they are not having additional BMT side effects, is when we typically take out their central line or “port,” Dr. Davis explained. In March 2023, Brisi reached this milestone and her port was removed, and six months later her story was featured on a local news station for Children’s Cancer Awareness Month.

Since then, Brisi had the opportunity to be a co-emcee of ceremonies at the 2024 Make-a-Wish Gala in Austin, where they raised nearly a half a million dollars. “I loved speaking at the gala,” Brisi said. “It was so awesome speaking in front of hundreds of people and sharing my story.”

Brisi’s own “Make-a-Wish” was a shopping spree in Austin in September 2022.

We were so very thankful for the doctors and the nurses at CHRISTUS Children’s, Nora said. There were times when I had scary thoughts, especially when I was alone. But that’s when I would ask questions of the nurses, and they answered them the best they could. They would reassure me and point out the positive. That truly helped.

Brisi remembers the care and kindness of the nurses at CHRISTUS Children’s. They not only treated her illness, but also supported her emotionally throughout her journey.

The nurses made me feel comfortable. They always expressed a lot of hope for me and that made me feel hopeful too Brisi said. They came all the time to check on me and make conversation. They wanted to know about me as a person and wanted to help me keep my mind off the fact that I was sick.

The entire Mauricio family shared that they cannot express enough the appreciation they have for Dr. Cheek, her pediatric oncologist, who oversaw Brisi’s initial cancer treatment at CHRISTUS Children’s. Nora and Brisi also recognized her nurses Hannah, Anne, Kelly, Kamilla, Isabelle, Tracy, Tammy and Shay and Child Life Specialist Becky for being “so loving and caring. They also expressed appreciation for the BMT team; Dr. Andreansky and Dr. Davis for their efforts and care during her transplant course. Nora also shared that Lyannette Calderon, APRN, FNP, BMT nurse practitioner, became an absolute lifeline for her during and after Brisi’s BMT hospitalization.

Only Good Health Ahead for Brisi

Brisi recently started her senior year of high school; Go Class of 2025! she said laughing. She plans to enjoy her last year of high school – hanging out with her boyfriend, all her friends and volunteering as the manager of the track team.

Looking ahead, Brisi said she wants to remain healthy and study to become a BMT nurse. This whole experience inspired me to be like those nurses who were there for me. I know how these kids with cancer feel. They are so scared, and I want to help keep their spirits up and care for them and let them know they will be OK, like my nurses at CHRISTUS Children’s did for me.

I want to thank the nurses and doctors for never stopping believing in me, Brisi added. They really helped me get through this horrible period in my life. I want them to know they will forever be in my heart.

Nora echoed the same sentiment. I was so nervous when we first got to CHRISTUS Children’s. But I quickly came to see how the doctors and nurses were a blessing, she said. I know we were blessed to be in the right place when Brisi needed it most. Her doctors and nurses are part of our family now.

Learn more about the hematology/oncology program and the blood marrow transplant program at CHRISTUS Children’s in San Antonio