TRANSCRIPT. Guy Descheneaux pinches himself again. After several years of email correspondence and video calls, he met his genetic twin. The cancer survivor hugged the man who saved his life five years earlier after a stem cell transplant. An altruistic gesture that crossed borders, from Germany to Quebec.
October 2018. Guy Descheneaux’s life takes a turning point. Anyone suffering from lymph gland cancer receives a stem cell transplant. For the second time. The first attempt didn’t go as planned. The Drummondvillois underwent an autotransplant, meaning he received his own stem cells. The cancer returned five months later. The blow was difficult to bear.
Guy Descheneaux is transferred to another hospital center in Montreal to receive an allograft. The procedure involves transplanting stem cells from a compatible donor. “He was an independent donor. My brother took the tests. It wasn’t compatible. My children were too young to donate stem cells. We turned to international banking,” he says.
The fighter underwent a fifth chemotherapy protocol. “Before the transplant, all traces of cancer had to be removed from my body. The psychologist called chemotherapy an “atomic bomb.” It destroys everything. I had radiation therapy in small doses from head to toe.”
After the transplant, Guy Descheneaux experienced a nightmare. Every day he struggled both physically and mentally. “In the first week I no longer had an immune system. I had no energy left. I had a headache and vomiting. It’s been a damn good month. Stem cells had to find their place. Even if they are good cells, they represent a foreign body,” says the man, who had a 30% chance of survival.
Guy Descheneaux’s battle was long and full of pitfalls. (archive photo)
Recovery was a journey full of obstacles. In more difficult times, the Drummondvillois focused on his main motivation: his boys.
In 2020, the physical education teacher had the pleasure of returning to work and meeting his students at Collège Saint-Bernard.
A first contact
Guy Descheneaux was back on his feet and taking steps to discover the identity of his donor. According to the procedure, anonymity is maintained for two years after the transplant. “Everything has to go through the hospital first. Regardless of the country of origin, the letters are in English. A year after the transplant, I received a letter from the donor. I didn’t write to him again because I was afraid of a repeat. A year and a half later I received a second one. I did not answer. After two years, I gave my permission to communicate with him.”
After his email address was submitted, the Drummondvillois continued with his daily activities. On a warm summer evening, the man received a new message in his email inbox. The sender? Michael Müller. A German. “He was my donor. He wanted to hear from me,” he breathes, his throat tight with emotion.
The two men corresponded for a while to get to know each other better. They then held video calls to talk to each other in person. From the very first eye contact, Guy Descheneaux noticed the physical and psychological similarity to his genetic twin. Over the course of the conversations, a strong, almost indescribable bond developed between them.
They quickly expressed interest in meeting. “I had planned to go to Europe, more specifically Austria. We planned to visit Germany the following summer. My boys and I are football fans. Next year is the Euro 2024 in Germany. It is the second largest football tournament in the world. We planned to buy tickets. Ultimately, Michael decided to come to Canada with his family,” he claims.
The encounter
This moment will forever remain in Guy Descheneaux’s memory when he met his genetic twin. There was excitement that day. “We prepared the house. I bought balloons. We had a German flag. We greeted them outside. As they got out of the car everyone looked at each other. “Suddenly I threw myself into Michael’s arms,” he remembers.
Guy Descheneaux returned to work in 2020.
(Photo Ghyslain Bergeron, archive)
Even today, the Drummondville resident still finds it difficult to identify the emotions he experienced. “He crossed the ocean to visit me. He didn’t have to. I don’t believe it yet. I have to pinch myself. My genetic twin saved my life. It’s thanks to him that I’m here.”
Michael Müller was also touched by this encounter. “The closer we got to Drummondville, the more nervous I became. And suddenly we were face to face and I could hardly say a word… Again, chills (the good ones), tears (of joy) and pure gratitude that everything went well,” says the 43-year-old.
His stay in Quebec was unforgettable. “It was even more beautiful than I dared hope. We got along very well from the start and were welcomed as if we had known each other for years.” Visits to Old Quebec and Drummondville, family dinners, swimming in the pool, walks outside: all sorts of memories were made between them.
Small gesture, big impact
For Germans, donating stem cells is a natural gesture. “In my country there are several organizations for recruiting and establishing volunteer stem cell donors. One of these is DKMS, one of the leading stem cell donor centers in the world. I was typecast at school when I was 18 or 19.”
“There was a case of leukemia in one of the lower classes and a call was made to increase the chances of finding a suitable donor. Although many people volunteered, the campaign was unfortunately not successful in this case. However, to draw the positive from this campaign: many people, including me, have been added to the list of stem cell donors.”
A few years later, the man learned that his genetic tissue markers were similar to those of a patient, Guy Descheneaux. He didn’t hesitate for a second to take the steps and donate his stem cells.
“I had to travel to Cologne for the preliminary examination and the actual stem cell donation took place a few weeks later. In my case it was a collection of peripheral stem cells (apheresis). This is similar to a larger blood donation, except that instead of donating blood, stem cells are harvested from the blood. A week before, I had to give myself injections to increase the number of my stem cells.”
Michael Müller encourages everyone To with the donor bank. “If anyone reading this has not signed up yet, please do so. You can do something incredible: you could save a life! The good thing about it is that it doesn’t stop at national borders.”
For his part, Guy Descheneaux enjoys every moment of everyday life. The latter recently reached an important milestone in his remission, as five years have passed since his last transplant. He feels more alive than ever. Above all, he is happy to have reached this milestone together with his genetic twin.
Stem cell donation
According to Héma-Québec, stem cells are the “mother cells” from which all other blood cells develop. These are mainly red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets. Bone marrow is the factory that produces stem cells.
A stem cell transplant consists of “replacing another person’s defective blood system,” informs Josée Larivée, spokesperson for Héma Québec. A stem cell transplant can be performed to treat serious diseases such as leukemia, other types of cancer, or certain hereditary diseases.
There are 55,000 donors registered in the Héma-Québec stem cell donor registry. All international registers cover 40 million people. Note that this type of donation requires a unique and perfect match between donor and recipient.
“Last year we had about twenty Quebecers who were called because their genetic profile matched someone,” mentions Josée Larivée.
Anyone between the ages of 18 and 35 is invited to order an oral sample kit on the organization’s website. Héma-Québec will store the donor’s characteristics in a computerized registry.
If compatible, stem cell collection occurs in two ways. In the operating room, the removal is carried out under general anesthesia. The bone marrow is sucked out using a large needle inserted into the back of the hip bone. “The other option is injections. We can give you injections that cause overproduction of stem cells,” she explains. The collection takes place intravenously.
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