Mike Burg never expected to spend two months in Nebraska. So, when the television producer found himself recovering from an autologous stem cell transplant, he did what he felt he had to do.

The Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center is a recognized leader in cellular therapies such as stem cell transplants, bone marrow transplants and CAR T-cell therapy, treatments that harness the body’s own cells to fight cancer.

Lisa Fennell, a food services employee at Nebraska Medicine for more than five years, took a leave of absence in May 2024 after being diagnosed with a type of blood cancer called myelodysplastic neoplasm.

When the Nebraska Medicine Blood and Bone Marrow Transplant Program celebrated its 40th anniversary in 2023, Bruce Sheffield, MD, was there. Dr. Sheffield is one of the thousands of patients who have benefitted from the program’s success.

Multiple myeloma is a bone marrow cancer in which plasma cells have become cancerous. Plasma cells, a type of white blood cell, are an essential part of the immune system. They make antibodies, a type of protein, that help fight infections.

Mary Robinson's blood type is now A+. The teacher of visually impaired students and mother of four also has male DNA. “I may have male DNA in my bone marrow, but I didn’t grow a beard,” she laughs. These two miracles are proof positive of her successful stem cell transplant.