DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS:

• Confirmed diagnosis of one of the following:

  • Acute lymphoblastic leukemia meeting the following criteria:

    • Stage III or IV disease
    • Relapsed disease or primary refractory disease

  • Stage III or IV high-grade non-Hodgkin lymphoma meeting 1 of the following criteria:

    • Relapsed disease
    • Primary refractory disease
  • Myelodysplastic syndromes
  • Acute myeloid leukemia after first relapse or with primary refractory disease
  • Chronic myelogenous leukemia hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis
  • Familial hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis
  • Viral-associated hemophagocytic syndrome
  • X-linked lymphoproliferative disease with severe, chronic, active Epstein-Barr virus infection with predilection for T- or NK-cell malignancy
• Lack of suitable conventional donor (i.e., 5/6 or 6/6 related or 5/6 or 6/6 unrelated donor) or presence of a rapidly progressive disease not permitting time to identify an unrelated donor NOTE: A new classification scheme for adult non-Hodgkin's lymphoma has been adopted by PDQ. The terminology of "indolent" or "aggressive" lymphoma will replace the former terminology of "low", "intermediate", or "high" grade lymphoma. However, this protocol uses the former terminology.

PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS:

• Life expectancy > 6 months (not limited by disease other than leukemia)
• No symptomatic cardiac disease or evidence of significant cardiac disease by echocardiogram (i.e., shortening fraction < 25%)
• Creatinine clearance ≥ 40 mL/min
• No pre-existing severe restrictive pulmonary disease
• FVC ≥ 40% of predicted
• Direct bilirubin ≤ 3 μg/dL
• AST ≤ 500 μg/dL
• No severe personality disorder or mental illness that would preclude compliance with the study
• No severe infection that would precluded ablative chemotherapy or successful transplantation
• No HIV positivity

PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY:

• Not specified