Marrow Matters
This is a blog about the Cooperative Appalachian Marrow Program, its staff and volunteers, and their work to save lives!
Our next drive will be May 5th in Knoxville on behalf of
GEORGE
Married to wife Marilyn for 29 years, father of five and grandfather,
53-year-old George works as a General Manager for Pilot Corporation.
George has Leukemia, a cancer of the bone marrow. He needs a bone marrow transplant to give him a
second chance at life!
Come join us at: Payne Avenue Missionary Baptist Church
2714 Martin Luther King Blvd.
Knoxville, TN 37914
May 5th from 10 AM thru 4 PM
I got into the marrow program the way most people do, the daughter of a friend needed a transplant. There was a drive (1994) at our workplace, I signed up. 6 years later I got a call, I was a match, was I still interested? Was I? You could hardly keep me down. The workup went well and on August 15, 2000 I donated marrow to a 4 1/2 yr old child, a boy with Fanconi's Anemia. That's all I would know for a year, save for quarterly updates from the marrow center and occasional, heavly censored letters from the recipient's family. Finally, a year and two days after the transplant we traveled to St. Louis to meet Austin and his Family at Children's Hospital, where he had received the transplant. Ever since the donation my wife and I have volunteered at the Cooperative Appalachian Marrow Program drives, and in the last year we've taken on even more, with me as the volunteer recruiter. These pages will tell CAMP's story and the stories of other donors and recipients. If you are not on the registry, I hope that this will inspire you to sign up. If you are already registered or can not due to health or age consider how you may help this worthwhile cause with your time, talents, and financial support. LINKS: NMDP Team Be-The-Match CAMP Contact Info: Phone: 423-854-5658 Phone: 866-680-0137 (toll free)
