A walking miracle: Hoover’s Heather Hinton leans on family, community support during leukemia journey

It was just a little over a year ago on Sept. 21 that Heather Hinton got the news she didn’t want to hear: She had leukemia and would need a stem cell transplant to survive.

Two days later, Hinton, a wife and mother of four children from Hoover’s Russet Woods community, was at UAB Hospital for six weeks of chemotherapy.

Then the search began for a bone marrow donor match. As is the case for nearly 70% of blood cancer patients, Hinton had no relatives who were a match, so she would have to rely on the possibility of finding a match from a stranger.

A friend of Hinton’s, Rachel Petry, worked with DKMS, an international nonprofit dedicated to fighting blood cancers and other blood-related illnesses, to organize a drive to get people to sign up for the blood stem cell registry.

One hundred and thirty-eight people responded and ordered at-home swab kits to be added to the donor pool for Hinton or other patients in need of a stem cell donor.

Hinton thought she had a donor in December, but doctors couldn’t agree on some of the details of the stem cells, she said. Her first two potential donors came down with COVID-19. Finally, on Jan. 22, a third potential donor was identified, and the transplant took place Feb. 10.

Now, more than seven months later, Hinton has had some complications with graft versus host disease, in which the donor’s bone marrow or stem cells attack her. She has had trouble with her eyes drying out and ears clogging up. But graft versus host disease is fairly common, and Hinton said she is doing amazing in her recovery.

The 44-year-old has started to regain her stamina, has been walking about a mile every couple of days and was able to resume homeschooling her children in August.

“I’m feeling so much better,” Hinton said. “I’m feeling more myself than I have in probably a year.”

‘INCREDIBLE’ SUPPORT

She and her husband, Brian Hinton, said they are so thankful for everything God has done to bring them through this trial and the incredible support they have received from family, friends, neighbors and fellow church members at Hunter Street Baptist, where Brian is an associate in the pastoral care ministry.

Heather’s sister and brother-in-law, Julia and Jeff Pelton, took the Hintons’ four children into their home while Heather was in the hospital to allow Brian to devote most of his time to caring for Heather, despite having four children of their own.

Other friends, Mark and Dori Carpenter, cared for the Hintons’ children on the weekends, along with their three children.

In addition to the 138 people who signed up for the bone marrow registry in honor of Heather, many more donated blood platelets in her honor. Two people became couriers in Alabama for Be The Match, another bone marrow registry group.

Before Heather went in the hospital, her homeschooling community organized a parade of cars to drive by her house, with people displaying posters of support for her. About 200 people from Hunter Street Baptist gathered in the Hintons’ front yard to sing and pray over them.

Friends and church members made meals for the Hintons, their children and the people caring for their children.

“I have cried so many tears of gratefulness,” Heather said. “I’m so thankful for the incredible amount of sacrifices and creative ways people have sacrificed in my honor. I thank God so much for the way He has provided for us. People have taken care of us so, so well.”

And Heather is especially thankful for the anonymous man from another country who agreed to donate bone marrow for her.

The international bone marrow registry is set up to provide anonymity for donors and recipients, but after a year, each will have the opportunity to say whether they want to learn more about or meet the other.

“I really hope I get to meet him, to hug his neck and tell him thank you for giving me another chance at life,” Heather said. “What a sacrifice that someone would be willing to do for someone else.”

Being a bone marrow donor — from the first information session to the actual donation — on average can take 30 to 40 hours over four to six weeks, according to DKMS. The bone marrow collection requires anesthesia, and donors generally feel discomfort and some pain in their lower back for one to two weeks, the organization says.

“I’m in awe and just so grateful,” Heather said.

A HUSBAND’S LOVE

She’s also grateful for how Brian has stayed by her side and cared for her throughout her sickness and recovery.

“He’s just been a rock for me,” she said. “He points me to the Lord and helps me remember He is good. He sat through every doctor appointment and took diligent notes. He never wavered. He’s just been with me through it all.”

Heather spent six straight weeks in the hospital in late September, October and early November, then another week in late November and more than three weeks for the transplant in January and February.

There was a two-week period where Brian had to leave her in the hospital because he tested positive for COVID-19 in the fall. Brian said it’s amazing Heather didn’t contract COVID-19, too, because it came at a time when she had no immune system to protect her, and he had been feeding her and snuggling in bed with her at times.

“That definitely was the Lord’s hand in protecting her,” Brian said.

The couple’s 17th anniversary fell during that two-week separation period, so they celebrated their anniversary via FaceTime. “It was hard to be home alone while she was in there fighting,” Brian said.

Heather said she and Brian have cried together a lot during the ordeal.

“There were times we couldn’t pray, but we knew other people were praying,” she said. “It was comforting to know God was in control of everything, how no matter what happened, I could trust His plan. I knew and still know that God’s got me and He’s got my kids, and He’s got my husband … all the people I love in the palm of His hands.”

Brian said Heather’s battle with leukemia has been difficult for him, too.

“It’s hard to watch someone you love suffering in the way she has, but it’s also been inspiring to watch her live out her faith in an amazing way,” he said. “We’ve been able to see God’s hand in so many ways and just understand His grace on a deeper level than maybe we did before.”

They might not have detected the leukemia when they did if God hadn’t intervened, Brian said.

The leukemia was found when Heather went in for a routine follow-up visit with an oncologist related to a previous spinal infection she had encountered. When Heather was in the hospital for that infection in December 2019 and January 2020, the oncologist did a bone marrow biopsy that came back perfectly normal, but the tests came back differently in the follow-up visit in September 2020.

Heather tried to cancel the routine follow-up visit because she thought it was unnecessary and was so busy, but the doctor’s office called back and insisted she come in for it.

“That phone call literally saved my life,” Heather said. “I literally am a walking miracle.”

Brian and Heather started a CaringBridge site for Heather to give people updates on her condition, and he said Heather really turned it into a ministry, being very honest about her struggles yet encouraging to others who go through similar battles.

“God used that and the trial we’ve gone through to encourage others,” he said. “That is one of the things that kept us going: knowing that good could come from this suffering.”

How to Help

Every year, about 14,000 people in the United States will need a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant, but only about 40% of patients typically receive one, according to DKMS. People interested in signing up to become a potential bone marrow donor can do so or learn more about the process by calling DKMS at 866-340-3567 or visiting dkms.org.