Blood Brother

Johnny’s bone marrow could save my life, but he’d vanished thirty years ago.

As an athletic, fifty-five-year-old professional woman, I had it all—or thought I did—until the fatal lymphoma. On the day of my shocking diagnosis, I was warned I might not survive the night. After months of punishing chemotherapy, I needed a Bone Marrow Transplant to survive. But there was one only person in the world I could turn to for that bone marrow: my brother, Johnny, who’d vanished thirty years before.

Blood Brother is the story of curing an incurable cancer and of the enigmatic events that led to finding a man who never wanted to be found. It also explores acceptance of what can and cannot be changed and discovering what it means to forgive.

Advance Praise


“A beautiful story of the strength of the human spirit and fierce determination to live. I hope that others who have been faced with a cancer diagnosis will also find inspiration, healing, and closure in reading this most compelling memoir…. This book is insightful and illuminating. I highly recommend it to all readers.”—Joanna Mimi Choi, M.D.

“Thanks, and praise to Susan Keller for her extraordinary medical memoir, Blood Brother. Though facing a potentially fatal illness can be terrifying, it’s also a priceless opportunity to learn, reconnect, and heal. Susan captures and shares these major life changes in a truly accessible way.—Amy Ewing, M.D.

“I spent all [day] and most of the night reading Blood Brother and forced myself to stop at 3 AM (I just could not put it down!) It is truly an eye opener to see the whole illness process through Susan’s memories and feelings, and to learn of her family story. My older son, who is captivated by medicine, is reading it and loving it too. This is a great book for anyone who treats patients, and for the patients and their families as well. It brings the Patient Journey into clear and dramatic focus.”—Natalia Greyz, M.D.

“From the first few engrossing pages, I was right there sharing Susan’s extraordinary experiences with her. Blood Brother is a must read for oncologists and other providers who believe their only responsibility is to treat the patient’s medical symptoms. It will inform and enrich the professional lives of those across the healthcare spectrum, adding depth, meaning to their days, and producing better outcomes for patients. Blood Brother gives hope to those who’ve lost theirs, patients as well as practitioners. There are happy endings after all!”—Meryl Luallin, CEO, SullivanLuallin Group