All blood cells in the body begin as immature stem cells in the bone marrow, the spongy tissue

found in
the central cavity of certain bones. Red blood cells, platelets and most white blood cells are formed in the
bone marrow. Blood stem cells are constantly dividing and changing into different types of blood cells,
replacing older worn-out blood cells. Stem cells generate billions of new blood cells every day. The
production of all the body’s blood cells depends on the stem cells, the source of all the blood cells in the
body. When cancer or cancer treatment destroys a patient’s stem cells, the patient is no longer able to
produce the blood cells that are necessary for life. If the bone marrow cannot make enough new blood
cells, many health problems may occur. These problems include infections, bleeding, or anemia, and can
be serious enough to cause death. Stem cell transplantation can replace damaged and diseased stem cells
with healthy stem cells and restore the bone marrow’s ability to make new blood cells