Transplant Nurse Reflects on Meaning of Second Annual GVHD Day скачать в хорошем качестве

Transplant Nurse Reflects on Meaning of Second Annual GVHD Day

Graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), a complication of allogeneic transplant, affects thousands of people in the United States each year, but “the number of lives impacted is immeasurable,” according to the GVHD Alliance. With the “immeasurable” impact of GVHD, it’s critical to raise awareness, and the GVHD Alliance is doing so by marking the second annual GVHD Day on Saturday, February 17, 2024. GVHD Day was established by the GVHD Alliance to “symbolize an enduring solidarity with the GVHD community,” according to the organization’s website. Erin Winters, RN, BSN, BMTCN, chair of the American Society for Transplant and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) Nursing Special Interest Group and nurse at the University of Kansas Cancer Center, spoke about what GVHD Day means to her. “To me as a nurse, it really just means supporting our patients and their voices [by] learning what GVHD is, and how we can support them through this journey,” Ms. Winters said. GVHD Day also represents a time to reflect on hopes and goals for the future of GVHD prevention, treatment, and research. Ms. Winters spoke about her hopes for patients with GVHD, their families, and caregivers. “My hopes for the future with GVHD are specifically that our patients can feel supported,” Ms. Winters said. “[I hope that] they can feel like they're not alone in this diagnosis, this disease, and that they can feel that they have a voice with this disease, and not just the patients, but also their caregivers, so that they can also be supported.” It’s important to recognize that “living with acute or chronic GVHD can be overwhelming,” according to the GVHD Alliance. For example, “people who have GVHD have described it as a ‘full-time job,’” the organization’s website states. The impact of GVHD makes it critical to raise awareness among patients and families about GVHD signs and symptoms, Ms. Winters explained. “I really think that the more education, the more awareness that we can provide with GVHD, the more comfortable our patients will be when they come to us with any signs or symptoms of GVHD,” Ms. Winters said. “And hopefully the sooner we can start treatment, the better outcomes that we can provide for patients with this disease.” The GVHD Alliance is comprised of the ASTCT, the Blood & Marrow Transplant Information Network, the Meredith A. Cowden Foundation, the National Bone Marrow Transplant Link, the National Marrow Donor Program/Be The Match, and the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. “The GVHD Alliance is made up of 6 organizations that share a commitment to helping people navigate GVHD, a disease that few have heard of, but that touches lives and families in lasting ways,” according to information from the GVHD Alliance. “GVHD is our focus every day, and we believe that the most profound differences are made when we work together.” For more information on the GVHD Alliance and GVHD Day, visit www.gvhdalliance.org/gvhd-day/. To leave a message on the GVHD Wall of Hope, visit https://bmtinfonet.org/wall-of-hope. Visit cancernursingtoday.com for more news and content on GVHD.