Jordan Lambropoulos has become the first person in Australia to receive a stem-cell transplant for Crohn’s disease, The Advertiser has reported.
Crohn’s disease is a type of inflammatory bowel disease. Although the disease itself isn’t usually fatal, it can cause severe complications if left untreated.
Jordan was diagnosed with Crohn’s disease when she was nine years old and has been battling for her life ever since.
The 25-year-old South Australian told The Advertiser that, over the last few months, she had been preparing for the stem-cell transplant – a procedure which would be the first of its kind for Crohn’s disease in Australian history.
“It hasn’t been done here in Australia before, we’ve never had a case (of Crohn’s disease) that has got to this point of needing transplant,” Jordan told The Advertiser.
Her preparation included taking cyclophosphamide, a medication to treat cancer, which caused Jordan’s hair to fall out.
Her transplant was also postponed for a couple of months while she had to go through another open bowel surgery. In the end, the young woman completed her stem-cell transplant on May 10, which she now calls her “re-birthday.”
Source: The Advertiser
