In the BMT industry, some refer to the day a patient receives their transplant as their “new birthday”. This is because the patient will get brand new bone marrow that will produce blood that has different DNA than the original bone marrow. Organs will remain the same as before and carry their original DNA, it is only the blood DNA that will be different. So when the BMT is complete, Clark will carry 2 types of DNA inside of him. In medical terms, Clark will become what is known as a Chimera.
What is even more interesting is that since the new bone marrow will effectively produce blood that is genetically the same as the donor, Clark will also receive some of the characteristics of the donor’s blood as well. That is, Clark will share the same blood type, the same seasonal allergies as the donor, and possibly the same food allergies!
For those who are curious, the bone marrow transplant will not affect Clark’s DNA contained in his sperm. So if Clark ever gets to the point where he decides to have children, they will definitely look like Clark, and not the bone marrow donor. (You’re welcome. We were just as curious once we heard this…)
As well, since Clark’s bone marrow will be starting over, he will also need to start his immunizations over again as well. All the benefits we had with his original immunizations will be wiped out. Not surprisingly, it will be just like starting over from when he was born!