APOLLO: Personalized rehAbilitation PrOgram in aLLOgeneic Bone Marrow Transplantation

People who undergo allogeneic bone marrow transplant for blood cancers receive the highest chemotherapy doses possible that humans can receive and still survive. As a result, they have devastating side effects during the procedure and for many years afterwards. Damage to organs and muscles cause long-lasting physical weakness and the psychological experience is severe enough to be termed 'post traumatic stress disorder' that also lasts for many years. These effects are worsened by the fact that most Canadians live several hours away from treatment and transplant centers, leaving them entirely on their own to manage these difficult long term effects. The APOLLO team will perform a qualitative study to learn the experiences of people undergoing allogeneic bone marrow transplant while they receive access to a supportive care computer 'app' and telephone support from nursing, exercise and nutrition experts. In this way, the APOLLO team will learn the most helpful type and timing of supportive care from those who know best.