On the day that Arizona resident Bryan Bolton, 43, was diagnosed with chronic myelogenic leukemia, he pondered breaking the news to his wife. Married for less than two years and now father to two adolescent sons, he was afraid to break their hearts. So, he tempered the news with a promise: “I promised them I would not die,” says Bryan.

Bryan began treatment at the City of Hope • Samaritan BMT Program in Phoenix after learning that his best chance for survival would be a bone marrow transplant (BMT). Fortunately, while no family member was identified as a donor match for Bryan, a search through the National Marrow Donor Registry identified 600 potential matches.
In July 2001, Bryan traveled to City of Hope for his BMT. At the airport departing for Los Angeles, his young son bid farewell to Bryan with a reminder, “Remember your promise.”

With marrow from an anonymous donor, Bryan underwent the BMT with determination to return to health as soon as possible. He pushed himself to exercise, running a mile on a treadmill 60 days after his BMT. Bryan returned to Arizona on the road to recovery, but in February 2002 he was hospitalized, diagnosed with Guilliam Barre syndrome, a life-threatening complication. “Thankfully, Dr. Schriber’s (Jeffrey Schriber, M.D.) quick diagnosis made a huge difference,” says Bryan. Still, Bryan suffered temporary lower body paralysis and battled a rare red blood cell disorder, enduring days where he was near death. “My wife tells me there was a moment while I was nearly comatose when she whispered into my ear, ‘You promised us you wouldn’t die,’ ” recounts Bryan. “She, says I opened my eyes and whispered back, ‘I’m not going to die.’”

True to his words, Bryan is still here. After 60 blood transfusions, chemotherapy and a spleenectomy, Bryan beat the blood disorder. Now, he works out several days a week and thrives on his career as a vice president at JP Morgan Chase. “Life is full of adversity,” says Bryan. “As a survivor, you have already beaten the biggest challenge you could ever face. After that, you know that you can be successful in whatever it is that is important to you.”