Last spring, Elian Sundén and his mother noticed that everything was not right. After several examinations, it was found that he suffered from aplastic anemia. This means that the bone marrow does not produce enough blood, which, among other things, affects the immune system very negatively.
– Last week he was so ill that I didn’t think he would survive. Then I was terrified and then I knew that this is how it can be, says Therese Wahlgren Sundén, Elian’s mother.
Worse every day
Elian managed to get better again and is now home from the hospital, but what can save Elian in the long run is a stem cell donation.
– I am getting worse and worse every day that passes. It’s going down. If this continues, I will only get worse and worse and eventually the body can’t handle any more, he explains.
Anyone between the ages of 18-35 who can think of donating stem cells can sign up for the Tobias register. A few simple tests that can be compared to a corona test can then show whether you can be matched with a sick person. But finding a perfect match is not easy. Many more donors are needed and especially young men, according to Nicole Silverstolpe, CEO of the Tobias Registry.
– Men are bigger, they have a larger body volume. And if the patient is a man, he may need more stem cells than a young woman can provide. The register today has 70 percent women. Therefore, we need to bring in significantly more men than we have today, and we see that the young guys need an extra push to get ready and sign up.
Two months
According to Elian’s doctor, he would ideally need a transplant within two months, but so far there is no matching donor. The family is now desperately hoping that someone new will come forward who can save him. Elian himself says that he does not want to think about what will happen if he does not find a match, but focuses on not straining his weak immune system. Actually, he should be at school now and would have liked to go and practice, but that will have to wait.
– It is clear that it is frustrating, but at the same time I think that it will take the time it takes. The important thing is that it goes well and that I get healthy.
Mother Therese also tries to keep her spirits up, but it is not always so easy.
– It’s overwhelming sometimes. Elian is very good, he listens so carefully to the doctors and is fantastic at this. I’m not as amazing. But I’m a mother, I guess. I would love to trade with him, but now he has this and I can’t do anything.