Just about a year ago, Maxine was diagnosed with MDS. In January of 2011 we launched this campaign to find her a bone marrow match. As we learned that Gift of Life, one of the national donor registries, had a backlog of over 10,000 previously collected samples sitting in a warehouse, we knew we had to do something. A potential match for Max could've just been sitting in a box waiting to be found. After raising over $50,000 in just a few months and testing over 1,100 samples we received some amazing news - Maxine's match had been found. In working with Gift of Life, we were told for each 1,000 samples tested, there was usually one match. We have miraculously made seven matches, two of which have already resulted in transplants.
Maxine is still recovering from her peripheral stem cell transplant this past July. It's been a long road with quite a few bumps, but every day she gets stronger as does her brand new immune system courtesy of a selfless donor. There are still people out there though, like we were, searching for donors for a friend, family member, or colleague. We can imagine that they wonder if their loved one's miracle match is just sitting in that warehouse. Gift of Life's backlog has grown to over 14,000. Please, as you consider your end of the year donations consider sponsoring a test for $54 or even part of a test. Also, please consider joining the registry, all it takes is a cheek swab to save a life!
Comments (0)