Dear friends,
I am writing to you about something that is very precious, and although it
is a private matter, I can not deal with it that way because it requires
the help of everyone. You see, I have a twelve year old son who may not
have long to live.
My son Sean is a Native American from the Cattaraugus Indian Reservation
in New York state, a member of the Wolf Clan. He is in junior high and a
sports fanatic who wants to be a great locrosse or football player. But
on April 3, 1992, he was diagnosed with leukemia. The doctors can't tell
us what caused it, but they do know the cure--a bone marrow transplant from
a matching marrow donor. Without a transplant my son's life expectancy is
three to five years.
He needs to find someone whose marrow type is the same as his--and someone
who would be willing to save his life by becoming a marrow donor. Because
marrow type is inherited, Sean is most likely to find a match with another
Native person. The odds are only about one in 20,000 that any person
would match him, and so far, no one on the National Registry of marrow
donors has the same marrow type.
There are so few Native people on the National Registry, but you could
help. If you aren't the miracle we are searching for, maybe you will be
for one of the other Native Americans and Canadians in search of the gift
of life.
Please help me save my son's life.
Sincerely,
Debra Parsons
--Marrow is the blood-like substance that makes healthy blood. A marrow donor gives less than 5% of their marrow, and their body replaces it in less than 3 weeks. It is removed from the small of the back by means of a needle while the donor is under anesthesia, so it doesn't hurt. When the anesthesia wears off, the donor feels stiff and sore for about 3 days to 3 weeks, and then is back to normal. But this marrow can heal a dying child. Please call 1-800-MARROW-3 and ask for Carol Field to learn more about the marrow program and the chance for native people to join the national registry. Thank you.
[ I have edited this bulletin a bit, based on a hardcopy of the original text, which I received from Carol Field (see below) at the National Marrow Donor Program (Eastern Regional Office, 7910 Woodmont Avenue, Suite 1410, Bethesda, Maryland 20814). --Gary ]