Transplant Lessons: Faith, Resilience, and a Lifesaving Gift

When Kyle Smoley discovered a painful lump on his thigh in 2018, he assumed it was a bruise from basketball or another high-energy activity. But the stakes were far higher than a mere game of hoops. This challenge would demand grit, faith, and reliance on a team of medical experts. 

Soon after the knot arose, Smoley began to feel a bone-deep fatigue. He knew something was wrong. After several medical appointments and a biopsy, he learned he had anaplastic large cell lymphoma (ALCL). 

ALCL is a rare form of non-Hodgkin lymphoma. This cancer begins in white blood cells called lymphocytes. The abnormal immune cells travel through the lymph system to form tumors throughout the body.

Cancer is not contagious

Smoley’s therapy included 6 months of chemotherapy. He recalls feeling isolated because many of the students in his school had the mistaken belief that cancer could be caught like a cold. 

“A lot of people think cancer is contagious,” he says. “I guess you can’t be mad at people for being uneducated about things like that.” 

Despite many week-long hospital stays, Smoley managed to keep up with his studies, graduate on time, and land a job.

Four years later, he noticed a lump on his neck.

“It was growing at an alarming rate, and I was in excruciating pain,” he recalls. “I remember thinking, ‘Oh, no, I know exactly what this is.’”

Medical tests confirmed his fears. The cancer had returned.

Tips for transplant patients

This time, Smoley’s treatment lasted a year and included a stem cell (bone marrow) transplant. 

“The transplant was rough,” he says. “The whole process was hard.”

Reflecting on his experiences, Smoley offers advice for others who will have transplants:

• Rely on your care team—especially your social worker: Smoley says he loved his doctor and his nurses, who took excellent care of him. And the social worker on his medical team offered valuable advice and support. Not only did she help him with emotional concerns, but also with practical and legal matters. “I can’t thank her enough,” he says.
• Lean on your faith: “I prayed a lot,” Smoley says.
• Follow mouth care routines: “During transplant, you may get mouth sores, and your gums may peel,” Smoley says. “The hospital offered a type of light therapy to avoid or reduce mouth sores. It helped me a lot. My mouth sores recovered quickly because I was serious about my light therapy. So, if they offer that therapy, always say, ‘Yes,’ no matter how bad you’re feeling.”
• Sleep can help you heal: Smoley notes that high-quality sleep is crucial to promote healing. “It helps to sleep while you’re in the hospital. If you feel sleepy, then go to sleep,” he says. 
• Good nutrition is important: “Be sure to eat when you can so that you won’t lose a lot of weight,” Smoley says. “Believe me, the NJ tube is not fun.”
• Know that things will get better: “Everybody told me that, but I had my doubts for a while,” Smoley says. “At some points it may seem impossible, but you will bounce back.”

Gratitude and life after transplant

Today, Smoley works as a technician for a heating and air-conditioning company. To maintain his health, the 24-year-old lifts weights at the gym, eats nutritious foods, and goes for regular medical check-ups. 

He says he is grateful for the team of people who helped him during the past 7 years, including one person who remains anonymous.

Smoley says the individual who donated stem cells for his transplant was a stranger who had registered with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). All he knows is that the donor was a 32-year-old female. Someday, if both Smoley and his donor consent, they may be able to meet one another. 

“How can you tell somebody what it means?” he says. “I would be at a loss for words. But I would tell her, ‘Thank you. You’ve given me another chance at life, and I really appreciate it.’”