Hope is the belief in a positive outcome related to events and circumstances in one's life. Not only do you have the power to offer hope, you have the power to make a significant impact on the future of a child. Thousands of patients hope for a bone marrow donor who can make their life-saving transplant possible. They depend on people like you. You have the power to save a life – all it takes is one!
The Armentrout family has been a part of the Marion family for over 5 years. Jenny is currently a Kindergarten teacher, and her own children are all Marion Mavericks. Her oldest daughter, Haley, attends Curtis Middle School, and her other daughter, Hannah, is currently in 6th grade. Jack, her youngest child, is in 4th grade. Even though their school year has been successful, the Armentrout family has been faced with some overwhelming health challenges.
Within the last few months, Jack has been diagnosed with Fanconi Anemia. Fanconi Anemia (FA) is an inherited type of anemia that leads to bone marrow failure. Even though it is primarily considered a blood disease, it can affect all systems of the body. It is a complex and chronic disorder that is physically and emotionally demanding. FA patients are extremely likely to develop a variety of cancers and at a much earlier age than patients in the general population. Although some patients have a genetically matched family member who can donate, about 70 percent do not. These patients' lives depend on finding an unrelated individual with a compatible tissue type, often within their own ethnic group, who is willing to donate marrow for them. Jack’s family has been tested, and unfortunately there has not been a match.
While FA is a life-threatening disease, a bone marrow transplant provides hope for FA patients. Here’s how you can help. With the help of the national Be the Match program, a community Bone Marrow Drive will occur on Saturday, May 7th, from 8:00am – 8:00pm, at the baseball fields at Allen Station. It only takes 10 minutes to register and complete the test. The testing requires only 4 cotton swabs of the mouth. In addition, donations to cover the cost of testing are accepted.
While we cannot predict the likelihood that you’re a match because of so much diversity in the population, every person who joins the registry gives patients hope, and new patient searches begin every day. You may never be identified as a match for someone, or you might be one of a number of potential matches. But you may also be the only one on the registry who can save a particular patient's life – a patient like Jack.
For more information, please visit http://www.fanconi.org/ and http://www.marrow.org/
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