Our Supplies Don’t Represent Us…Not Even Close.

Last week, I received two messages…two very profound messages that I feel the need to share. I think you will understand why. There is a big issue out there that needs our attention.

The first message was from a family whose son was born with Leukemia. His name is Hunter, and he has stolen our heart. Hunter is now 4 years old and still in the fight of his life. The message I received was a text from his mother. It read: “Thank God, we just found out that Hunter has zero Leukemic cells in his bone marrow. It’s a miracle.” There were a few other celebratory expletives in there as well, but I took the liberty of removing them. (Although, I must admit that I can’t blame her…sometimes they add an extra punch and they have been through a lot.) I immediately called her to share in the excitement and to congratulate the family. It was an emotional conversation, but it doesn’t end there…not even close.

Hunter’s body cannot handle one more chemotherapy treatment. This was the final one. If it didn’t work, “there was nothing more the doctors could do.” Fortunately, it worked…that’s the good news. The tougher news is that Hunter needs a bone marrow transplant. This last round of chemotherapy was just to prepare him for the transplant. If his results did not come back as zero Leukemic cells, Hunter could not have gone forward with the transplant, which means he would not last through the end of the year. For months the family has tried to find a donor, but Hunter is part Cherokee Indian, Asian-American, and African-American. Not a common mix, therefore not a lot of good matches. In fact, after going through the 6 million names on the bone marrow donor list, they determined that there was not a good enough match. Not one. So they are now going to use chord blood and hope that Hunter’s body will adjust to it and manufacturer the missing pieces to produce healthy bone marrow. So, it was a big day for Hunter and his family, because now at least he has a chance…and that is something to celebrate.

The second message I received was an email from a woman whose best friend was just diagnosed with Leukemia. Her email reads:

“My friend Nick Glasgow was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML) in March 2009. He has had two chemos, both of which have not worked in putting his cancer in remission. He is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant to save his life! After learning of Nick’s ethnic background (1/4 Japanese and 3/4 Caucasian), Stanford doctors told him he has a 0% chance of finding a matching donor due to the lack of minority registrants in the national bone marrow database. We are determined to beat the odds! If you or anyone you know is an Asian/American, you may be the donor that can save his life! You do NOT need to be Japanese/Caucasian…all Asian-Americans should register. To register is easy…you can order a free kit sent to you in the mail by registering at www.aadp.org. Thank you so much.”

Two messages in one day. Two people/families reaching out to us…the world…for our help. Just so they can have a chance. They just want one swing of the bat, one shot at the lottery, lightning in a bottle. And we hold the answer for them…right in our bones. Our country’s bone marrow supply does not represent the ethnic mix of our culture. America is known and celebrated for its racial diversity, but with this diversity comes a responsibility to honor and respect it. That means helping one another in any way we can. You matter. People matter. Your bone marrow matters. These are just two of many stories. Register today.