Graft vs Host Disease (GvHD): Lived experience + medical expertise

Graft vs Host Disease, known as GvHD, is a side effect of a life-saving procedure. People who undergo an allogeneic stem cell transplant - where a donor's stem cells are transplanted into the recipient - can experience either acute or chronic GvHD.

Listen to blood cancer survivor Libby Goszer who shares her coping strategies for living with chronic GvHD, a condition she describes as "a continual rollercoaster ride that has both expected and unexpected twists and turns." The B.C. resident has lived with cGvHD for 16 years; she's learned to enjoy the 'ride' of her life as a mom, wife, professional, and volunteer.

Also in this episode, a Canadian hematologist-oncologist and a specialist in GvHD, Dr. Kirk Schultz talks about chronic as well as acute GvHD, symptoms, and advances in medical treatments.

Read more about GvHD from The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada (LLSC) with these easy-to-understand, short factsheets:

Understanding GvHD -

https://www.bloodcancers.ca/sites/default/files/2024-10/lls1768-f-fs-gvhd-understand-e03.pdf

Treating GvHD -

https://www.bloodcancers.ca/sites/default/files/2024-10/lls1769-c-fs-gvhd-treating-e02.pdf

If you have any questions about your blood cancer experience, or that of a loved one, please reach out for personalized support from a trained LLSC community worker in your region. Find their contact information at:

https://www.bloodcancers.ca/i-have-blood-cancer/how-we-can-help/access-one-one-personalized-support

You are not alone.