Newark Second-Grader, Washington Lawyer

Eight-Year-Old Boy Meets His Bone Marrow Mate

Eight-year-old Derrick Devose Jr. had a special feeling about Thedius Thompson long before the two ever met.

It's a bond that only a person who owes his life to another can fully appreciate.

"She was so nice," recalled Derrick. "She saved my life and I wanted to thank her."

The bond between the Newark second-grader and the Washington, D.C., lawyer is in fact, a blood tie.

In August 1997, Derrick was diagnosed as having acute lymphoblastic leukemia, a virulent type of cancer with only a 5 percent survival rate and a very high rate of relapse.

His only chance to survive was a bone marrow transplant. But the odds of finding a suitable donor were very long because, while the need for donated organs is very high among African-Americans, relatively few minorities sign up to be donors.

Doctors were afraid Derrick would succumb before a match could be found. But luck was on his side, and so was Thompson, who works for the federal General Services Administration.

She had signed up as a potential donor after learning of the need for African-American donors during a minority lawyers' conference two years ago. She was quickly identified as a suitable match for Derrick and the procedure was performed in November 1997.

"It was unusual someone was found so quick," his mother, Keisha Pickett, said of her only child. "It has allowed him to return to a productive life."

Derrick and his donor angel finally met for the first time last week in Washington to launch National Donor Day, sponsored by the Minneapolis-based National Marrow Donor Program.

Accompanied by his family, Derrick thanked Thompson with a hug and a kiss as tears streamed down the woman's face.

The meeting left Thompson, 39, as thrilled as Derrick, and as optimistic about his future as he is.

"This was an opportunity for me to impact someone's life," she said. "I'm looking forward to watching Derrick grow up."

Derrick's mom and doctors recalled the 100 days the youngster spent at Hackensack University Medical Center in 1997, before and after the procedure.

"It was the worst year in my life not knowing if he was going to make it or find a donor," said Pickett, a 28-year-old Essex County corrections officer.

"His course was somewhat rocky, but he has done beautifully," said Derrick's physician, Dr. Joel Brochstein, explaining the youngster had encountered some initial complications.

Bone marrow transplants require a close genetic match, said Brochstein, director of the Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Program at the Hackensack University Medical Center. Marrow is found in the hollow bones of the body, such as the legs, hips and arms.

It looks like blood, but is thicker and produces red and white blood cells.

"He and his family are appreciative of this Good Samaritan who volunteered to undergo an uncomfortable procedure," said Brochstein. "It gave Derrick a second chance at long-term survival. At present, he is free of leukemia and fully active."

Brochstein attributed his patient's success to the efforts of the NMDP's aggressive recruitment of minority donors.

Of 3.5 million volunteer marrow donors, only 7 percent are African-American, according to the bone marrow donor program.

"Ideally, we want to get that figure up to 15 percent," said James Davis, director of the recruitment for the Human Leukocyte Antigens Registry of New Jersey, the River Edge agency that matches donors with patients in the state.

The HLA is one of 100 registries linked to the NMDP's donor network. Today, more that 100 patients receive marrow transplants each month through the program.

While it was Derrick's idea to meet his donor, Thompson also shared his enthusiasm.

"You have this bond with someone you don't know," said Thompson, "Then to finally be able to put a face to the person is so emotional."

Derrick's grandmother, Angee Pickett, said: "She's a gift from God. We're thrilled we were able to meet her and thank her."