Dottie Thomas, considered the “mother of bone marrow transplants,” died Jan. 9, 2015, at her home near Seattle. She was 92 years old.
Thomas was also the wife and research partner of 1990 Nobel Laureate E. Donnall Thomas
The Thomases formed the nucleus of a team that proved that bone marrow transplantation could cure leukemia and other blood cancers, work that spanned decades.
“Dottie’s life had a profound impact, not only on those who knew her personally, but also on countless patients,” said Fred Hutch President and Director Gary Gilliland, who befriended with the Thomases when he and Don served on the advisory board of the José Carreras Leukemia Foundation.
Dottie Thomas may have gotten the name from the late George Santos, a bone marrow transplant expert at Johns Hopkins University and fellow professional. “If Dr. Thomas is the father of bone marrow transplantation, then Dottie Thomas is the mother,” he once said.
Dottie was a college journalism student when, in March 1943, Don was admitted to Harvard University Medical School under a U.S. Army program. Dottie got a job as a secretary in the Navy while Don attended medical school.
“Dottie and I discussed it, and we decided that if we were going to spend time together, which turned out we liked to do, she should probably change professions,” Don said. Seattle weather. “She had taken a lot of science during her time at school, far more than most journalists. She loved science.