Jaime was born and raised in Macon, Georgia. From an early age, she had a love for tennis and eventually went on to become one of the greatest professional female tennis players of the 90s, competing in the U.S Open, French Open, Australian Open, and Wimbledon. On and off the court, Jaime has a competitive nature and generous spirit, working as the Major Gifts Coordinator and coaching boy’s and girl’s tennis at her high school alma mater, Stratford Academy, as well as volunteering and organizing charity events.

It was with this fierce attitude that Jaime approached her diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). She had just participated in a national tennis tournament in Naples, Florida at the end of November 2009 when she started to experience pain in her leg. Familiar with sciatic nerve pain, she thought it would subside with rest. However, when it didn’t, Jaime knew she had to go see her doctor. Her doctor x-rayed her back and didn’t find anything abnormal but knew something was wrong when Jaime mentioned she was in a lot of pain. He then ordered an MRI and a CT scan before referring to an orthopedic oncologist at Emory University Hospital. On April 23, 2010, Jaime was officially diagnosed with a rare form of extramedullary AML, which is where the tumors grew outside of the bone rather than in the bone marrow.

Jaime had just celebrated her 48th birthday, and she had a hunch that something big would happen to her that year. Her mom was diagnosed with lung cancer at the age of 48 and Jaime had a feeling something would happen to her once she hit that age. Her mother was a fighter and had a graceful attitude all throughout her illness, and it was her that gave Jaime the determination to beat cancer. There was never a moment of, "Why me?" only the thought of, "Okay; it’s my turn now. Let’s get this going, get treatment, and kick it."

From day one, her doctor informed her that she would need a bone marrow transplant because of this particular type of AML. They tested her siblings, and her sister and one brother were only a 5/10 match; the other brother was not a match at all. Her doctors then searched Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide, where they found seven 10/10 matches!

Before her transplant, she went through two rounds of chemotherapy. Then, On August 27th, 2010, Jaime received her bone marrow transplant at Emory University Hospital. She had a friend who had been through the procedure before, and she spoke to Jaime about what would happen. From the beginning, she was encouraged to walk a mile; every day, she got out of bed and did exactly that. Though she was doing something mundane, her determination was an inspiration to others. Patients at Emory keep a tally of the "laps" they walk, and Jaime’s tallies inspired other patients.

Now, one year later, Jaime is doing well. She filled out the paperwork to learn who her donor was, but after two months of not hearing anything, she gave up hope. Then, on November 3rd at 4:00 PM, Jaime received a call from an unknown number. Though she was busy finalizing details for a fundraiser, she picked up the phone. A gentleman’s voice on the other end said, "Hello. This is Damian." The name and voice did not sound familiar. He informed her that he went through a procedure over a year ago, and didn’t she have a transplant around the same time? Jaime’s mind raced to figure out who Damian could be: was it someone from Emory, another patient, doctor or visitor? Finally, the gentleman told her who he was: her bone marrow donor.

She was shocked and immediately started sobbing; the moment she had been waiting for had finally arrived. She handed the phone to her friend, who spoke with Damian for 20 minutes before giving the phone back to Jaime, who had finally composed her emotions. The following Monday, they spoke for an hour, and she learned that Damian was a donor through Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation. Immediately after their conversation, she jumped on the internet to learn all about Gift of Life and our mission to save lives.

Damian and Jaime plan to meet face-to-face on January 2, 2012, in Florida, and she cannot wait! She dreams daily about what the experience will be like and is hoping he will get the chance to travel to Macon to meet all of her friends and the community who has rallied around her during this time.

Jaime’s positive attitude and "BEAT LEUKEMIA!" mantra is catching. Strangers come up to her and tell her how much her story has inspired them through their fight, whether they’ve had cancer or know someone who has been diagnosed with it. She feels blessed, but she has also been a blessing, in return. Her determination and love of life shines through even the darkest moments, and she passes on the support she’s felt to others in need.

Please stay tuned to hear more about Jaime, Damian, and their meeting in January 2012.