Meeting my donor

Me and my donor, Denise Ledvina

How do you thank someone for saving your life?

I posed that question when I met Denise, my donor, while I was in Philadelphia.

"Thank you" seems insufficient. But that's what I said, repeatedly, and Denise thanked me too.

"How many times do you get to say that you saved someone's life?" she asked.

We met for coffee when I was in her neck of the woods for our big 10-mile race (my six-miler). My high school friend Tami came with me, because, as I wrote earlier, Denise happens to be in Tami's book group, and they live near each other in South Jersey, close to Philadelphia.

Denise and I have e-mailed since we first learned each others' identity a year after my transplant on Jan. 31, 2009. Some people travel far to meet their donors, but when you consider the world-wide reach of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), we are practically in each others' back yard.

We're about five hours apart, but only about an hour and a half from New York, which I consider my second home. I had stopped in New York on my way to Philly, so Denise was just a short bus ride away.

She actually registered through The Gift of Life, an associate registry of the NMDP, in a donor drive for the late Michael Brecker, an internationally-known Philadelphia jazz musician who died of leukemia in 2007 after failing to find a donor. Once you register, your name and information stay on the list, which is how she ended up with me.

I learned of our connection when I first told my friends that I had learned my donor's name. That's when Tami exclaimed, "I know her!" (We are trained to almost always use the word "said," but in this case, she really did "exclaim.")

We have so many things in common that I felt like I already knew her. And of course now that her strong healthy cells have populated my bone marrow, in a way I am her. We hugged and smiled and teared up and then, along with Tami, just chatted away.

We're about the same age and share a similar background. We both also have a history of the crazy-making plantar fasciitis. Mine had been quiet for years until recently, and I joked with her that maybe she gave it back to me with her cells. Bad joke. Sorry.

I can see that she is a strong woman. And I am so grateful that I carry her strong cells within me.

Registering as bone marrow donor could save a life

If you live in Western Massachusetts, you could potentially save a life by taking a short amount of time out of your day on Nov. 19 to attend a drive to register as a bone marrow donor. This does not mean that you have to become a donor; it simply means that you will join the approximately 11 million people who have signed up with the National Marrow Donor Program to possibly donate in the future.

I know how important this is, because I am alive today thanks to a generous donor whom I've yet to meet. I just know that he is a 54-year-old man who lives far enough away that his cells needed to be flown to Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston when I received my first transplant a year ago, and again on June 10 when the first graft failed.

The drive will be at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley. It will be preceeded by an educational event this coming Wednesday (Nov. 12). Also please note that if you are between the ages of 18 and 60, there are various ways to become a donor -- either on-line, at a donor drive like the one at Mount Holyoke, or at registration sites throughout the country. The National Marrow Donor Program website has all the information.

Here is the press release about the Mount Holyoke donor drive:

"On any given day, more than 6000 men, women and children are searching the National Marrow donor Program Registry for a life-saving donor like you. For many of them who have leukemia, lymphoma, and other life-threatening diseases, a transplant may be their best and only hope.

The simple act of joining the Registry adds to the possibility of a life being saved. Come to our educational event on Wednesday, November 12th in Hooker, 5-6pm, to hear the real stories of donors and patients, more about the science behind a donation, and what being a donor entails.

The most important thing is to come to MHC’s donor drive and join the Bone Marrow Registry by simply having a cheek swab taken, and filling out your contact information. The Drive is Wednesday, November 19, 11am to 5pm in Chapin.

The Registry needs all donors but is especially looking for minority donors. Many minority people who are in need of a donation, cannot get one, due to the shortage of minority donors. Donations to the Registry can be paid by your MA insurance."