'Time is of the essence' with bone marrow drive

Signing up with the National Bone Marrow Registry could save a life.

Recently, Mooresville resident Don Humphrey learned firsthand how important a single registrant could be when he needed a transplant to battle leukemia.

"I'm still recuperating and it'll take about a year to know if my body will reject it," he said. Humphrey received his transplant in November and said everything has been going smoothly so far.

"I still have a few months before my immune system is up to full speed and I have to be really careful about viruses and bacteria, but my life will go on because I found a good match," he said.

None of Humphrey's close relatives were a bone marrow match, so the doctors searched the registry until they found someone to save his life.

"All I know is that he's 40 and male, but after a year, if we want to meet, we can (according to the Registry guidelines)," said Humphrey. "I already love him and all donors for their gift."

On Sunday, May 2, a marrow-typing event in honor of Humphrey will be held at his church, Broad Street United Methodist in Mooresville, with an accompanying spaghetti luncheon to raise money for the Registry.

Julie Crone, a fellow church member, organized the event and accompanied Humphrey to several of his appointments and procedures as part of her senior project at Mooresville High School.

"I'm glad Julie was interested in what has been going on and I really appreciate the bone marrow drive she's putting on," Humphrey said. "It's flattering that it's done in my honor. Time is of the essence for a lot of people so I hope more people will become donors because you can affect a life greatly."

Humphrey added that many people have misconceptions about the ease of getting typed and donating, so they avoid the process. "It's very simple to get tested; it's just a swab in the mouth," he said.

The form of donation relies on the type of blood disease the patient has. The National Registry explains the process in their frequently asked questions section.

"Peripheral blood cell (PBSC) donation involves removing a donor's blood through a sterile needle in one arm," according to the Web site http://www.marrow.org/JOIN/FAQs_about_Joining_the_Registry/index.html. "The blood is passed through a machine that separates out the cells used in transplants. The remaining blood is returned through the other arm."

PBSC is the form of donation that Humphrey required, and he said it was "very easy" and "without pain."

"Bone marrow donation is a surgical procedure in which liquid marrow is withdrawn from the back of the donor's pelvic bones using special, hollow needles," the site continued. "General or regional anesthesia is always used for this procedure, so donors feel no needle injections and no pain during marrow donation. Most donors feel some pain in their lower back for a few days afterwards."

"I don't know the exact number of calls that the registry receives in a day, but I've heard it's staggering," Humphrey said. "By putting your name in the registry, you are saving a life. It's as simple as that."

"How often are you offered the opportunity to contribute a living donation?" asked Ginger Templeton, a mother of two in Statesville. She and her family began advocating for friends and family to join the National Registry when her daughter, Lindsay, developed AML, an aggressive form of leukemia.

"She had only been sick a few days before she was diagnosed," Templeton said. "She had a low-grade fever for about four or five days and was tired, but I wouldn't have even brought her to the doctor if some family members hadn't commented on her yellowish coloring."

She was quickly diagnosed and put in a positive-pressure room with two doors and was not allowed to leave for weeks at a time.

"She was in the hospital for about six months receiving chemo," she said. "She would receive treatment for five to 10 days until her white blood cell count was about zero, and then we'd hang out at the hospital until the count was safe enough that she could go home. Then we'd have to start the process all over again with the next round."

Templeton said there were different subtypes of the leukemia and some needed transplants, while others did not.

"We typed her brother to determine if he was a match, which he was not," she said. "If he were, she would have received a transplant, but since he was not, they went ahead with the chemo."

Lindsay's chance of having the leukemia reoccur is fifty percent. If the cancer does reoccur, she must have a transplant. After facing their daughter's health scare, both Matt and Ginger Templeton took to their Facebook and Caring Bridge pages to plead with people to join the registry.

"People going for a transplant are on their last hope," she said. "It's that simple. You could truly save a life when no one else can. Sometimes you're helping a child, a teen or a young person in their 30s. Finding a match is difficult and when a person gets one, it is more than likely the only one."

The spaghetti luncheon is from noon to 2 p.m. at Broad Street United Methodist Church and is free, but any donations taken will go to the registry. For those who are interested, the compatibility swab procedure will be offered from noon to 5 p.m. For more information, call 704-663-2161.