Area residents poured into Emporia Fitness Monday evening to have their mouths swabbed and to sign up for the National Marrow Donor program.
“The drive was a tremendous success as we had 92 individuals join the national registry,” said Greg Bachman, who organized the donor drive.
Bachman held the drive in honor of a former employee, Lisa Spillman Mesa, who underwent a stem cell transplant on Feb. 12 at Baylor University Hospital in Dallas. She already has undergone chemotherapy and radiation treatments.
Mesa was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia last August, less than two months after she gave birth to a son, Logan. She and her husband, Manny, also are parents of pre-school-aged Aiden. The family lives in Broken Arrow, Okla.
While the drive will not directly benefit Mesa, her difficulty in locating a compatible donor pointed up the crucial need for people to register as donors and have their DNAs typed for matching patients who need transplants. Some doctors use bone marrow; however, a growing number of doctors are using stem cell transplants instead in an attempt to eliminate cancers. In either case, the substances can be obtained from compatible donors.
madpoet (anonymous) says...
I attended that event yesterday. I was impressed with how well organized it was and how quickly everyone was processed. I cringed when I saw the number of cars in the parking lot but it took me less than half an hour. Most of the time was taken up filling out the forms. Everyone was very helpful and friendly. And thanks, Greg, for the free fruit smoothie! I did it in honor of a friend's little boy who was diagnosed with leukemia when he was less than 2 years old. He was lucky and survived. If I can help save someone else's child or parent, I would be glad to help.
March 3, 2009 at 2:35 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
spectator (anonymous) says...
"Area residents poured into .....[and]...........we had 92 individuals join the national registry,” Unfortunately, many were rejected because of a number of reasons. Only those in excellent health were accepted (as is appropriate) but this only affirms the importance of having more and more people attend these drives. Thanks for the effort Greg and staff. Good job.
March 3, 2009 at 5:47 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )
spectator (anonymous) says...
And a *special* thanks to all who made the attempt to sign up.
March 3, 2009 at 5:49 p.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )