The Remorseful Brothers Novel

Chapter 0343

I nodded, “I’m her biological mother but he isn’t.”

He shook his head, “Yes, you can be the donor for the transplant if you are a suitable match for the bone marrow transplant. But I’ll have your know that it’s very rare for the biological parents to a match. But that won’t stop us. You’d undergo the necessary tests to determine compatibility.”

He reached for a file from the pile on his desk. “Are you ready to take the compatibility testing now or would you prefer we schedule a date?”

“Now please,” I wiped the tears off my face as I sat up straighter.

He opened the file and started to ask me some questions. Inbetween, he explained, “We need all this information to ensure a successful and accurate testing.”

“It’s okay, I understand,” I nodded. He asked his questions and I answered promptly.

“Okay, you can get the test done now,” he rose from his seat and glanced at Dennis who also stood up when I did.

I took Dennis’s hand in mine. “I’d like him to be there.”

The doctor nodded and led us to where the test would be taken.

In about twenty minutes, they got everything they needed from me for the bone marrow test.

“As soon as the results are out, we’ll reach out to you,” the doctor assured us.

Dennis and I spent some time with Amie who was asleep all through. I wanted to stay with her but Dennis and even the doctor insisted that I go home ar eturn stronger the next day

The waiting days were hellt, having to constantly worry about Amie and what the possibility of the results would be.

While we waited, Dennis spent as little time at work as possible and stayed with me at home. He held me and continued to assure me that Amie would be fine. I leaned on him physically and em~tionally because I had no idea what I would have done if he went here with me.

Few days later, we were informed that the test results were out. The little hope I had managed to nurture blew up when I was told that I wasn’t a match for Amie.

All hope is not lost, Mrs Dennis, the doctor assured. ‘Is Amie’s biological father still alive?”

I felt Dennis freeze beside me. I nodded slowly. “Yes, he is. But we aren’t together anymore,” I quickly added. “It’s been a while since I last heard from him. Why? Do you think he might be a match?”

He shook his head. “The probability that he’d be a match is lower since you aren’t. I was going to suggest that you two make a sibling for Amie so the transplant would happen.

Though Dennis was still patting me on the back, I could feel his rigidity as he remained mute all through.

“But we aren’t together anymore,” I repeated. “I’m married to Dennis

now.”

The doctor glanced over at Dennis and shrugged. “That’s sad then. Increasing her chemotherapy doses isn’t what I’d advise because in the end, the transplant would still be needed and by then the risks would be higher.” He paused before he continued. “In all honesty, Amie could continue to battle with this illness for a long time even with drugs and treatment, and in a lot of cases, the life expectancy in cases like hers is very low.”

Tears sprang to my eyes and rolled down my cheeks nonstop. Dennis. held me. Then he said to the doctor, speaking up for the first time since. Alden was mentioned, “There must be something we can do. Please, doctor. We need a solution, what are our options?”

He held Dennis‘ gaze. “The only solution I can propose and I assure your that it will completely cure Amie is for her biological parents to make. another sibling for her.”

Dennis remained silent and the doctor continued. “But you need not worry, this method doesn’t need the traditional way of making a baby through sexual intercourse as it’s a chance–based approach and may not guarantee a match.

“This process is referred to as the ‘Savior Sibling‘ or ‘Donor Sibling‘ conception. Instead of making the sibling the traditional way, to make sure the new baby is a match for the sick sibling, methods like Preimplantation Genetic Diagnosis (PGD) or Haploidentical Family Donor Conception are adopted. These methods involve genetic testing of embryos and selecting the right one that matches the sick sibling’s bone marrow or shares half of the genes with the sick sibling before the selected embryo is placed into the mother’s uterus to develop and grow into a baby.”

The room grew quiet after the doctor’s explanation. Then a quiet, “Is that the only solution?” came from Dennis.