Private war for Air Force sergeant Published March 11, 2011 By Stephen Delgado 56th Fighter Wing Public Affairs LUKE AIR FORCE BASE, Ariz. -- Not a day goes by that one doesn't watch a newscast or read a magazine telling of a war going on in some part of the world. There have been highly publicized overthrow of governments throughout the Near and Middle East. However, as these conflicts rage, there is a Luke Air Force Base sergeant who is waging his own war against a killer. Staff Sgt. Andrew Prince, 56th Operations Support Squadron Aircrew Flight equipment journeyman, was diagnosed with cancer in October 2010. "He was having trouble breathing and always felt tired," said Staff Sgt. Michael Cramer, 56th OSS Aircrew Flight equipment NCO-in-charge and family liaison officer for Sergeant Prince and his family. "Sergeant Prince, 25, underwent a series of tests and a tumor the size of a fist was discovered in his lung. The tumor was biopsied and was diagnosed as stage 3-Thymus-Cell lymphoblastic lymphoma." Lymphoblastic lymphoma is an aggressive cancer that can affect either type lymphocyte, which is a type of white blood cell in the vertebrate immune system. Small lymphocytes consist of T-cells and bone cells. T-cells are an essential part of the immune system. Declaration of war Once the diagnosis was made, it was time for aggressive action. "Sergeant Prince started an aggressive chemotherapy regimen at St. Joseph's Hospital (in Phoenix), accompanied by a lot of transfusions," Sergeant Cramer said. Yet, despite these treatments, it became a must to find a bone marrow donor, so a search was started on the national register to find a match, according to Sergeant Cramer. "We were fortunate because the search found three matches," he said. D-Day It was on to the Mayo Clinic in Scottsdale, where Sergeant Prince received his bone marrow transplant Tuesday, but there was much to be done before the actual transplant. "He was admitted a week before the transplant and had to undergo intense chemotherapy and radiation treatments to kill all of his bone marrow cells," Sergeant Cramer said. "These steps have to be done, so that the donor's bone marrow will take and start to create new cells. The following three weeks after the transplant will include transfusions of blood and platelets." The initial four weeks at the Mayo Clinic are only the beginning of the process to recovery. "The treatment for a bone marrow transplant takes 100 days," Sergeant Cramer said. "After the initial four weeks, Sergeant Prince has to find a place to live within 15 minutes of the clinic because he has to have a daily checkup." Allied support What's more, first-class medical care is vital to recovering from any disease, but there are other factors just as important that aid in getting better. Sergeant Prince has a lot of support from his flight, family, as well as his case worker, Diane Kittle, 56th Medical Group, and Annette Slaydon, 56th MDG recovery care coordinator, Sergeant Cramer said. "Our flight brings his family dinner three times per week, and I have been working with his case manager," Sergeant Crane said. "Sergeant Prince lives in Buckeye and is married with one child. His wife had to take their son out of daycare and is working. Our flight is there to provide needed support to alleviate some of the stress. His mom is here from Dresden, Ohio, to help, too." Victory Finally, if the transplant takes, Sergeant Princes' prognosis is good because the survival rate for transplants that are successful is 75 to 80 percent compared to 50 percent without the transplant, Sergeant Cramer said.