Four weeks ago, the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation began a radio show.  The Gift of Life with Gregg evolved with the intention of tempering sorrow with joy, with the notion of balancing the emotionally laden weight of transplantation with the relieving levity of survival, of life, of second chances. Amidst struggle, there always exists beauty, and that’s what the show is about—celebrating beauty, celebrating happiness. The show marks an integral shift in spotlight: it is important to understand the gravity of illness, and even more, it is important to respect its subsequent effects. But with pain there is still life, there is still light, there is still hope. There is always reason to smile. 

 

The night before the show’s second episode, the host and co-hosts received a particular smile, a beaming, pink-tutu-wearing, red-princess-glove-dressing, extraordinarily adorable seven-year-old smile. It belonged to a little girl named Sami.

 

After advertisements and marketing efforts spread throughout media platforms, a listener heard the show’s message, and wrote to the host and co-hosts, sending forward Sami’s cheerful picture. But along with this smile, an accompanying desperate and heartfelt plea followed. The listener, Holly, wrote about her niece Sami, this little firecracker, beautiful with a personality to illuminate any room, spirited with a spunk to energize any environment, but unfortunately threatened with a fatal, unforeseen diagnosis. Sami has Fanconi Anemia, a rare, genetic disease that affects 1 out of every 350,000 people. Within three years, after the age of ten, her chances of survival decrease exponentially. How could this child, this little girl who rides her pink four-wheeler, who loves playing with her chickens, who turns her living room carpet into a fashion show runway face this unbelievable news? How could this be possible? Holly was asking for our help—Sami will die without treatment, and there is only one, long-term answer: a bone marrow transplant. After searching through every international database, after scanning through the millions of registered donors worldwide, no match exists for Sami.

 

Yet.

 

There are moments in life when an inordinate impact can resonate from a simple choice, from a single locus.  This is one of those moments; this is one of those times.

 

No match exists for Sami yet, but her match is out there, her lifesaving chance is waiting to be found. This is one of those moments when someone’s life is in our hands, when Sami’s life depends on our efforts, on your efforts. You can help save Sami’s life through measures that are simple in effort, yet magnanimously proliferative in effect. We are asking for your help, for a single phone call, for one choice, for a simple moment of your time. Please call us at 1-800-9MARROW or visit www.giftoflife.org/dc/theshow to contribute to Sami’s lifesaving efforts. We’ve met Sami’s family, we’ve seen that smile, we’ve loved that energy. We’ve seen the worry in her parent’s eyes, we’ve seen the fear of what the future holds. But we know what to do. We know how to help. It starts with us, it continues with you, and it ends in Sami living the long, fruitful life she deserves.

 

There are moments in life when you can make a difference. Now is your chance. Now is that time.