It's a 100% MATCH!
That's the greatest phrase someone in dire need of a bone marrow transplant can hear.
Once again, we have another bone marrow success story. Five years ago Eunique Darby, a 14-year-old ninth grade Syracuse, New York student was diagnosed with Leukemia. Recently, her community organized a donor drive and as a result, over 150 people registered. A 100% match donor was found, and since the information about the potential donor is confidential, we do not know the person or their location. Eunique is currently undergoing chemotherapy treatment. This is life-saving news.
This young person was blessed with a second chance. What a feel good real human-interest story. I wish her well.
According to Syracuse’s News 10 Now: “Eunique will travel to Rochester for her transplant in June. She will stay there for several months while she recovers, but she will not be "cured" until she's gone five years without a relapse.” They are planning a benefit and organizing more drives for other patients. WATCH VIDEO
We should not be waiting for a celebrity to call us to action to register. If you want to register and join the National Marrow Donor Program visit: www.Marrow.org
A 1993 NY Times article on bone marrow transplants notes: “Finding a compatible donor is never easy, but for non-white people it is considerably more difficult. Of the 1,606 transplants arranged through the National Marrow Donor Program, only 28 involved black recipients. Only 3.6 percent of the people registered as donors in the Connecticut Marrow Donor Program are black.”
Dr. Joel Rappeport, the director of the bone marrow program at Yale-New Haven states, “"This is not a total black and white issue…a black recipient does not have to be matched with a black donor… but finding the right match is more likely between people of the same race.
James E. Rawlings, Yale-New Haven assistant vice president states, "The reason that blacks do not become involved in donor programs is that they are not aware of the need. Education is the key." Hopefully, things have changed.
Reference:
A Transplant Program Looks to Black Donors
News 10 Now
Photo Credit:
News 10 Now
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