More often than not, good fortune is about being in the right place at the right time. For Linda Manwaring, place and timing were lifesaving.

In February 1997, Linda was diagnosed with an aggressive form of scleroderma, an autoimmune disease in which the body overproduces collagen, the substance of which scar tissue is made. It is a progressive disease, affecting organs throughout the body and for which there had been no known cure. Linda’s rheumatologist advised her that her prognosis was poor.

Serendipitously, Linda’s husband, a 36-year employee of City of Hope, learned that City of Hope was conducting research on the effectiveness of bone marrow transplantation (BMT) in treating autoimmune diseases, including scleroderma. At the time, the use of BMT for scleroderma was so experimental that there were no approved protocols and a clinical trial had not yet been established. But Linda’s condition was so advanced, her chances for survival were slim with or without the proposed BMT.

With Linda’s life in the balance, physicians worked to expedite approval of a new protocol. “I knew that at best, I would only have a few months to live if I didn’t try the BMT, soI chose to pursue this course with the hope that it would lengthen my life,” Linda recalls.

It has been eight years since Linda underwent the trail-blazing bone marrow transplant, and her survival and quality of life is testament to the phenomenal potential of BMTs in the treatment of autoimmune disorders like scleroderma.

City of Hope has been a part of Linda’s life for the 24 years she and her husband have been married. More than her husband’s employer, City of Hope’s commitment to research saved Linda’s life. “My son graduated from high school and has become a fine young man. I would have not lived to see him graduate were it not for City of Hope,” says Linda with enduring gratitude.