Whether you are a marrow donor or a volunteer or a financial supporter, your help means that we can save lives. We are grateful that you have taken our mission as your own.
The dollars you give us translate directly into lives saved – just like Rory, a young boy from Scotland who received a marrow transplant from Chris. Rory and his family were introduced to his donor Chris in September on World Marrow Donor Day, and afterward Rory's mother Jenny wrote an incredible poem of gratitude. We would like to share this with you, as a reminder of what your contributions give to our recipients and their families.
The Gift of Life
You gave us the gift of hearing the words, "there is no evidence of disease".
You gave us the gift of seeing our beautiful son, fragile as aged lace, slowly get his strength back.
You gave us the gift of ticking off important milestones,
Each milestone another leap forward into a new life.
Hickman line out - tick!
Hair re-growing - tick!
First day back at school - tick!
No more medicines - tick!
You gave us the gift of looking ahead and wondering, hopefully, what Rory might be when he grows up.
Your gift, such a small red bag, with the whole world inside it,
Free, but more precious than a million dollar diamond,
Flown across the Atlantic on a cold December day,
Turned out to be a Russian doll of gifts.
It has given us every new day since.
Each day with laughter in it,
Each day with hugs in it,
Each day with hope in it,
Sprang from that small red bag.
As well as giving us stem cells, you also took things away.
You took away crying silently into my pillow at 4am,
thinking about what music to play at my child's funeral if he didn't survive.
You took away the ever-present hum of fear, the fear of those dreaded words, "there is nothing else we can do".
You took away the maddening, noisy hospital life, dozing in an unfamiliar bed, kept awake by the fear and the organised chaos of a kids' cancer ward,
You took away a life on pause, a half life.
In its place, a full life, a rich life, a tapestry of wonders.
Rory plays Chopin on the piano and the audience applauds, delighted, moved.
Rory phones his grandparents and chats like a little bird; they bring him chocolate and think the sun shines out of him.
Rory gives me a warm hug and I ruffle his messy hair.
Rory cooks me a steak; liberal use of garlic and sea salt, delicious!
Rory scribbles calculus proofs, and I look on, baffled.
He argues with his sister and I'm cross, but thankful for the normality of it all.
Rory smiles and I feel that tug of maternal love; it says, "I really love this boy" and "thank goodness for his donor".
You gave us so many gifts but they all come down to one thing in the end.
You gave us the gift of life.
- Jenny Kemp
Please consider making your year-end, tax-deductible contribution today.
