National Marrow Awareness Month

Celebrating Everyday Heroes

This November, during National Marrow Awareness Month, the National Marrow Donor Program^® (NMDP) will celebrate the heroism of transplant physicians and the spirit of the patients who received life-saving therapy through a marrow or blood stem cell transplant. We'll also celebrate the everyday heroes who, by their stem cell donation, have selflessly given second chances at life to their recipients. During National Marrow Awareness Month, the NMDP's nationwide network of transplant and donor centers will spread the news that marrow and blood stem cell transplants save lives and issue the call for everyday heroes to become volunteer marrow or blood stem cell donor.

Living Proof that Stem Cell Transplants Save Lives

A successful transplant gave Tonya, an African American single mother, the chance to raise her young daughter and to pursue her dreams. "When I was diagnosed with leukemia, I wished for a second chance," Tonya said. Without a transplant, Tonya would have died. No members of Tonya's family were suitable donors, so she needed to find an unrelated donor. Enter the NMDP.

"We were desperate to find a matching donor for my transplant. My daughter was just two at that time. I didn't know who was going to take care of my daughter," Tonya said. "When the NMDP found a matching donor for me, it was the best Christmas present I could have received," she said. "The NMDP was my lifeline."

These days, Tonya is healthy and studying nursing. "I will receive my nursing degree at the end of this year. I plan to specialize in oncology where I can show patients that I'm a living miracle. I want the patients to know that if they need my help, we can walk the road together. I got through it. I survived it and so can they."

Thirteen-year-old Leandra is glad her doctors recommended an unrelated marrow or blood stem cell transplant to treat her myelodysplastic syndrome. "If my doctors hadn't contacted the National Marrow Donor Program right away, I probably would have died. My donor didn't just give me a pint of her marrow, or some of her time," Leandra said. "She gave me another chance to see a tree. Another chance to hear my little brother laugh. Another sleep over at a friend's house. A chance to go to college. My donor gave me a chance to live up to my dreams."

The Need for Heroes

Each year, an estimated 30,000 Americans are diagnosed with a wide range of life-threatening diseases for which a marrow or blood stem cell transplant can be the best hope for a cure. Nearly 70 percent of these patients will not find a suitable donor in their family and will turn to the NMDP for a volunteer to donate healthy stem cells for their life-saving transplants. Although more African Americans, Asians/Pacific Islanders, Hispanics and American Indians/Alaska Natives are finding donors for their transplants, they are still less likely than Caucasians to identify a matched donor. More donors of diverse race and ethnicity are needed, so that all patients will have an equal chance at finding a matched donor.

"Everyone has the ability to make a difference. It doesn't matter what you do for a living or who you are," Fortier said. "You don't have to be a fireman to be someone's hero. You too can make a difference. More everyday heroes are needed so that all patients can have their second chance at life."