Positivity: Glad to the bone
Cross-country walker raises awareness for bone marrow registry
Updated: 01/24/2010 12:00:28 AM PST
When Jeana Moore’s granddaughter Jada was born 2 1/2 years ago, her nurse noticed something that saved her life. “She saw some red dots on her skin. Jada had patechiae – red spots that indicated her blood was not clotting,” Moore explains.
In a month, Jada was diagnosed with leukemia, and by 5 months old, she had received four chemotherapy treatments. Jada’s survival was dependent upon finding a bone marrow donor.
“Once we knew Jada needed a transplant, everyone in the family was tested. No one matched,” says Moore. The National Bone Marrow Registry was contacted, and the wait for a suitable donor began.
There are 8 million Americans listed on the registry – a million more than last year. Even with that many registrants, Jada’s donor was not found in the U.S. “A 30-year-old man from Germany became her donor,” Moore explains. A volunteer from the registry flew to Germany to pick up his lifesaving cells and transport them to Seattle Children’s Hospital. Jada received her bone marrow transplant in November of 2007, and was in remission by March of 2008.
Following the family’s arduous ordeal, Moore felt she needed to help others suffering with leukemia. “I decided to help patients and families waiting for their donors. I looked at the Internet and other programs but realized I wanted to talk to people face-to-face about the National Bone Marrow Registry.”
Moore and her family created the Jada Bascom Foundation. As an adjunct activity, Moore stepped out – literally and figuratively – embarking from Seattle in October of 2009 on an 18-month-long trek across the United States to raise awareness about becoming a member of the National Bone Marrow Registry, and explain how simple it is to be a bone marrow donor.
Moore walked into Ukiah Tuesday, traveling with a 35-pound backpack. Her goal is simple: to encourage people to get on the registry.
“Jada found her donor in two months. We were very lucky,” says Moore. She recounts the story of another friend. “He’s been waiting for a match for four years and decided to recruit donors. He’s recruited over 8,000 people. Fifty have been matched with patients. He’s getting weaker and says if he dies, he knows he’s fulfilled his life’s purpose by helping to increase the number of people in the registry.”
Moore stresses becoming a registrant is easy and painless. “You simply request a kit from the National Bone Marrow Registry. You take a cheek swab of cells and mail the packet to the registry. No blood is drawn,” Moore explains. …
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