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Reverend John Sabbagh, left, and his son, Ebby Sabbagh, kiss nurse practitioner Kim O. Riley on Friday, September 7, 2018 in Gilbert, Arizona. their native Lebanon, the son makes this devotion. Reverend John Ibraham Sabbagh and his 54-year-old son, Ebby Sabbagh, are celebrating a year of revenge since the former Sabbagh received a crucial stem cell transplant. (Terry Tang / Associated Press)
GILBERT, Arizona – Thirty-five years after an Arizona man took care of his son when he was shot in their homeland, Lebanon, the son returned his devotion.
Reverend John Ibraham Sabbagh and his 54-year-old son, Ebby Sabbagh, celebrate a year of strong growth since Sabbagh received a crucial stem cell transplant. After undergoing chemotherapy for acute myeloid leukemia, the 88-year-old patient opted for the transplant in September 2017 at the Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center in Gilbert, about 32 kilometers southeast of Phoenix.
It was Ebby, also the eldest son, who ended up being enough to provide stem cells.
"We all learned from this: Be a positive fighter," Ebby said Friday as he helped his father look at hospital staff planned for his transplant anniversary. "If he does not give up, we do not give up."
Dr. Rajneesh Nath performed stem cell transplants on several elderly patients. But never on one as old as John. Nath said that he could say after chemotherapy and other low-intensity therapies that the elder Sabbagh was strong for his age.
"He was walking down the halls and his ability to tolerate (treatment) was no different from that of the younger patients we treated," Nath said.
It was ultimately John's decision and he wanted to adopt the most aggressive approach. Former Sabbagh, who was chaplain to the Arizona Department of Corrections for 13 years, said he considered himself a fighter.
"A fighter, but not in a negative way," he said in a soft voice.
Dr. Andrew Yeager, director of the Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Program at the University of Arizona Cancer Center, said he would give the transplant team "a good bottle of alcohol for him." say the 80s. "
"It's really high and atypical," said Yeager.
An elderly transplant recipient may have more difficulty in certain areas, such as recovery. Stem cells from the donor can undergo the attack after the transplant, a disease known as graft versus host disease. This can be debilitating, even for a young patient. In addition, according to Yeager, patients aged 60 and over sometimes have underlying problems with their major organs.
Ebby says their roles are now essentially reversed since he was shot dead in Tripoli in 1983 during the Lebanese civil war. Ebby had just turned 18. He drove his father's car to get some ice cream after finishing his exams. Several men shot his car at a surprise checkpoint, Ebby said. Despite the injuries caused by shrapnel and part of his left leg torn off, he managed to escape.
Eventually, friends helped him to go to the hospital. He was later transferred to a hospital in Beirut where he spent more than three months recovering. John made the two hour trip from Tripoli to stay in the hospital or with friends.
"Thanks to all that, Dad was right," Ebby recalls. "He refused to go home until he took me with him."
The experience of helping his father through cancer has somehow brought them closer together.
"What I get is tons. Every moment that I cherish, "said Ebby. "We really had incredible moments together."
John will have to undergo another bone marrow biopsy this month to see if the cancer is still present or if it has developed. Even with this uncertainty hanging over the whole family, Ebby says he has no regrets.
"To have this opportunity to prolong your life, to be able to counter this disease – was it worth it? The answer is yes, "he said.
Copyright 2018 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, disseminated, rewritten or redistributed.
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