You will be very immunosuppressed (unable to fight germs).

• Chemotherapy kills your old blood-making stem cells. This means you will not have enough white blood cells (immune system cells) for a few months.
• The donated stem cells will start making new white blood cells, but you can still get very sick from germs for a few weeks or months after chemotherapy.
• For the first few months, you are at the highest risk of getting very sick from germs. You can get very sick for about 6 to 12 months after chemotherapy.
• In the hospital, they take extra care to keep germs away from you. Your doctors will also give you medicine to fight germs once you go home.
• You may not be able to visit friends or meet with loved ones for a few weeks even after you have discharged from the hospital.

Graft versus host disease (GvHD) is when the donor cells attack your body.

• The donated blood-making stem cells make immune cells that ‘attack’ your body.
• These new white blood cells can get confused because your body is not the same as the donor’s body. This is why they can attack your body.
• The bone marrow transplant can still work, even if you have this problem.
• Your doctors will give you medicine to try to prevent it or stop it if it happens.
• People may need to take these medicines to prevent or treat GvHD for several months after transplant.
• The medicine does not work for some people. They can get very sick or die.