Bone Marrow Transplant Gives Bergen County Woman Second Chance at Life

When Dawn Congiusti was diagnosed with a rare and aggressive form of leukemia called myeloid-predominant B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia in early 2018, she underwent six weeks of chemotherapy - while pregnant. In fact, the treatment caused her to give birth to her daughter, Tessa, at just 32 weeks.

Dawn, who was 36 at the time, completed her chemotherapy while Tessa was in the NICU, and it was highly successful; she was declared to be in remission. Still, her doctors felt it would be best for her to have a bone marrow transplant to prevent the cancer from returning.

Dawn decided to get her bone marrow transplant at Hackensack Meridian John Theurer Cancer Center, which has the best patient survival outcomes in NJ for donor-recipient bone marrow transplants.

Starting the Journey to Be Cured

Dawn arrived at John Theurer Cancer Center in May 2018 and felt an immediate connection with her oncologist, Jamie Koprivnikar, M.D. “It was like talking to an old friend you hadn’t seen in a while,” she says. 

Dr. Koprivnikar told her that a bone marrow transplant would most likely cure her - but the road wouldn’t be easy or quick. 

To prepare for the transplant, Dawn would have to undergo five days of consolidation chemotherapy once a month from June through October. The treatment, which is a more intense form of chemotherapy, was meant to further kill off any lingering cancer cells to improve her chances of being cured. 

She’d have to stay in the hospital during each chemo round - which meant she’d be away from her three kids. “I cried every single time walking from the parking garage,” she says. 

Still, she pushed forward. “My mantra through the whole thing was I’m not mad. I’m not scared. I’m determined,” she recalls. 

Seeing how much family meant to her, Dawn’s care team made special arrangements that allowed her husband and kids to visit her during treatment. 

Her two older kids, ages 9 and 5 at the time, would do their homework in Dawn’s hospital room. Or they’d all watch TV together. “They’d eat the cookies or cheesecake from my [meal] tray,” she says.

Finding The Right Bone Marrow Transplant Donor

The plan was for Dawn to get an allogenic bone marrow transplant, the kind that uses healthy bone marrow from a donor. 

While Dawn got her consolidation rounds of chemotherapy, her transplant team was hard at work finding a match. It wasn’t easy. While siblings are the most likely matches, neither Dawn’s brother nor sister turned out to be a good fit. Her first cousins didn’t match either. 

Finally, Dr. Koprivnikar suggested trying Dawn’s mom and dad. Her mom turned out to be a match.

Dawn’s mom immediately agreed to be the bone marrow transplant donor. “She was like, ‘Of course I want to save you,’” says Dawn, who adds that her mom now likes to say that she gave birth to Dawn twice. 

Prepping for the Bone Marrow Transplant 

On November 26, Dawn was admitted to the hospital to start the final prep for her bone marrow transplant. This involved getting a final dose of chemo and two rounds of radiation. 

“I didn’t know what the radiation would do to me,” she says. “I worried about not being able to hug my kids afterward.” While long hugs were off limits for a few weeks, she was able to give them quick hugs and kisses.

Dawn remembers those days leading up to her transplant as a very busy blur. But the actual transplant day itself turned out to be the exact opposite, since bone marrow transplants are done via intravenous infusion. 

“I watched this bag of my mom’s bone marrow drip into me,” says Dawn. “My husband and I watched the Food Network all day long while it happened.” 

Dawn had to stay in the hospital for several weeks to be monitored post-transplant. She Facetimed with her husband and kids on Christmas Eve and was thrilled when they came to the hospital to visit on Christmas Day. 

Experiencing a Setback

Finally, on December 30, Dawn was able to come home. It felt surreal after spending more than a month in the hospital. “I was worried that someone was going to stop me and tell me that I couldn’t leave,” she says.

Dawn was grateful to be home. Unfortunately, though, a few days later she started experiencing fatigue, aching, swelling and trouble regulating her body temperature. 

She returned to the hospital and was diagnosed with graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD), a common complication after a bone marrow transplant that occurs when the recipient’s body attacks the transplanted immune cells. 

Dawn’s case was severe, and she ended up spending weeks in the ICU. 

John Theurer Cancer Center offers specialized care for GVHD, so she was in good hands. “The doctors and nurses were amazing,” she says. 

She finally returned home in early February 2019. 

Cancer-Free and Fighting for Others

Dawn was regularly monitored for several years before officially being declared cured on December 6, 2023 - exactly five years after her transplant. 

“I remember lots and lots of crying of happy tears,” she says. “I remember one of the nurses giving me a hug at the end of my appointment and telling me to go live my life.”

Dawn has done just that, and she feels endless gratitude for a second chance at life - and for the team at Hackensack Meridian Health who helped her get there. “They brought me to where I am today,” she says.

These days, Dawn sees herself as a cancer advocate. “I want to help other people,” she says. “If I could get through it, anyone can get through it.” 

Next Steps & Resources

• Meet our source(s): Jamie Koprivnikar, M.D.
• Make an appointment online with an oncologist near you, or call 800-822-8905. 
• Learn more about cancer care at Hackensack Meridian Health.