Article content

“Mom, we did it.”

With those words, Jonathan Pitre hugged his mother, Tina Boileau, and shared his joy and relief at learning the news late Tuesday afternoon that his stem cell transplant has worked.

We apologize, but this video has failed to load.

tap here to see other videos from our team. Try refreshing your browser, or It worked! Jonathan Pitre's transplant takes root Back to video

Blood tests revealed that all of the new white cells in his bloodstream are from his mother’s donated stem cells, and contain her two telltale X chromosomes. It means his mother’s donated stem cells have taken root in his bone marrow and have started to produce new blood cells.

“This is the best news ever, the best Mother’s Day gift,” said an elated Boileau, who has remained at her son’s side throughout his marathon treatment for epidermolysis bullosa, a rare and painful disease that causes his skin to blister and tear easily.

Photo by Tina Boileau / -

Oftentimes, doctors find a mix of white blood cells, from the donor and patient, soon after a stem cell transplant. But in Pitre’s case, all of the new white blood cells, 100 per cent, were donor cells.