The Young and the Restless: Malcolm’s Aplastic Anemia and the Truth Behind the Medical Condition
When Malcolm (Shemar Moore) returned to Young and Restless on April 7, he revealed that he was in town for some family business. And that turned out to be sharing with his biological daughter, Lily (Christel Khalil), that he had been diagnosed with aplastic anemia and would require a bone marrow transplant from a blood relative, hoping it would be her. This is a real disease and can be very serious, but it can also be treated. Here’s what you need to know.
To Save a Life
Aplastic anemia is a condition that develops when bone marrow stops creating enough new blood cells. Symptoms can include fatigue, shortness of breath, frequent infections, prolonged bleeding from cuts, and fever, though some people have no symptoms at first. In many cases, doctors believe that aplastic anemia is caused by the body’s own immune system attacking the stem cells in the bone marrow. Other factors that can affect blood cell production in bone marrow include radiation and chemotherapy treatments, autoimmune disorders, and viral infections.
Blood tests and a bone marrow biopsy can help diagnose aplastic anemia, though additional tests may be necessary to determine the root cause of the condition. While blood transfusions can help alleviate symptoms, a bone marrow transplant can be curative for some patients, especially those who are younger and otherwise healthy. As Malcolm explained to Lily on Y&R, he will undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments in order to destroy his diseased bone marrow, and then, if Lily proves a match for her biological father, stem cells from her bone marrow will be introduced to his system to begin producing new blood cells.
Malcolm reminded Lily that her mother, Dru, had donated her own bone marrow to save the life of her sister, Olivia, when she was dying from aplastic anemia 25 years ago. Other soap characters have also been diagnosed with the condition, though they were all much younger than Malcolm. One Life to Live’s Starr Manning and her little brother, Jack, both suffered from aplastic anemia as babies, and in both cases, Alex Olanov donated life-saving bone marrow. Abigail Deveraux developed the condition on Days of Our Lives as a toddler after being exposed to polluted water, and Austin was her donor. And on General Hospital, Lulu Spencer’s diagnosis as an infant led her mother, Laura, to reveal the existence of her secret son, Nikolas, who was found to be a donor match for his baby sister.
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