>>>
>>> EVERY
>>> EVERY THREE MINUTES SOMEBODY IN THE UNITED STATES
IS DIAGNOSED WITH A BLOOD
CANCER INCLUDING LEUKEMIA AND
FOR MANY THEIR ONLY HOPE IS A
BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT.
A PROGRAM CALLED, BE THE MATCH,
IS WORKING TO CONNECT DONORS
WITH PEOPLE WHO NEED
TRANSPLANTS.
TRANSPLANTS. HERE TO TELL US ABOUT THE
PROGRAM IS JOSEPH WILSON,
DONOR, LANDON BENNETT AND LYNN
CLARK WHO WAS RECENTLY
DIAGNOSED WITH A BLOOD CANCER.
THANK YOU FOR BEING HERE.
JOSEPH, TELL US WHAT BE THE
MATCH IS ABOUT.
>> THIS IS THE NATIONAL MARROW
DONOR PROGRAM AND WHAT WE DO IS
FACILITATE THE STEM CELLS FROM
THE MARROW TO SAVE LIVES OF
PEOPLE WITH BLOOD CANCERS.
THERE'S ABOUT 70 DIFFERENT
BLOOD CANCERS AND DISORDERS
LIKE LEUKEMIA AND SICKLE-CELL
DISEASE THAT ARE CURABLE
THROUGH AND IDENTIFY DONOR LIKE
LANDON WHO SIGNED UP FOR THE
REGISTRY WITH THE CHEEK SWAB.
THE ENTER AND THEN THEY ARE ONE
OF THE ONE IN 430 THAT IS
MATCHED TO A PATIENT IN NEED
WHICH IS INCREDIBLE.
THEN THEY FACILITATE THE
DONATION LIKE IT'S A BLOOD
DONATION.
DONATION.
DONATION. NOT AN ACTUAL PROCEDURE DONE
THROUGH A SURGICAL MEANS.
IT'S SIMILAR TO DONATING BLOOD.
LINDA COULD TALK MORE ABOUT
THAT.
THAT.
THAT. THIS PROGRAM SAVES LIVES FOR
PATIENTS WITH BLOOD CANCERS.
>> IT'S A COMPLICATED MATCH
PROCESS.
PROCESS.
PROCESS. IT'S NOT JUST BLOOD TYPING.
>> I WISH IT WAS LIKE BLOOD
TYPING BECAUSE THEN LYNN WOULD
HAVE ALREADY FOUND HER MATCH.
IT'S ABOUT A NEEDLE IN A
HAYSTACK IS WHAT WE ARE LOOKING
FOR BECAUSE WE ARE LOOKING AT
THE IMMUNE SYSTEM TYPES TO
MATCH TO THE PATIENT.
SO THE PATIENT DOESN'T ACTUALLY
REJECT THE DONATION.
WE ARE LOOKING FOR A SPECIFIC
TYPE OF THERE ANTIBODIES THAT
WILL MATCH FROM THE DONOR TO
THE PATIENT WHICH IS WHY WE
COLLECT THOSE CHEEK SWABS.
>> LYNN, TELL ME ABOUT YOUR
DIAGNOSIS.
DIAGNOSIS. >> ACUTE LYMPHOBLASTIC LEUKEMIA
>> AND HOW DO YOU FEEL AT THIS
POINT ?
POINT ?
POINT ? >> I WAS DIAGNOSED A YEAR AGO
BEFORE CHRISTMAS AND I
UNDERWENT SEVEN MONTHS OF
INTENSE CHEMO AT SWEDISH CANCER
INSTITUTE.
INSTITUTE. I FELT CRUMMY THROUGH THAT
ORDEAL.
ORDEAL.
ORDEAL. THAT'S NOT EVEN THE PROPER
WORDS TO USE.
IT WAS PRETTY BAD.
I WAS IN REMISSION FOR FIVE
MONTHS AND RELAPSED.
I'M CURRENTLY ON SOMETHING, AND
IMMUNOTHERAPY THAT IS NEW TO
THE STREET AND IT TARGETS,
CONSIDERED TO BE SNIPERS AND
THEY'RE TRYING TO KILL OFF THE
LEUKEMIA CELLS.
LEUKEMIA CELLS. >> AND WE ARE WAITING FOR THEM.
>> WE ARE.
IF THEY MISS ONE IT WILL COME
BACK ONCE A GO BACK INTO
REMISSION WHICH IS WHAT THIS
IMMUNOTHERAPY IS DESIGNED FOR,
THAN I CAN RECEIVE A STEM CELL
TRANSPLANT AND THAT'S REALLY MY
ONLY OPTION TO STAY ALIVE.
THE STEM CELL TRANSPLANT.
>> YOU ARE WAITING FOR MATCH AT
THIS POINT.
THIS POINT. I CAN'T EVEN IMAGINE WHAT THAT
IS LIKE.
IS LIKE.
IS LIKE. THE WEIGHTING OF THIS IS
SOMETHING THAT WE ALL KIND OF
HAVE TO WRESTLE WITH IN OUR OWN
MINDS.
MINDS.
MINDS. HOW WOULD WE FEEL IF WE WERE
WAITING IN WHAT I WOULD WANT
EVERYONE TO DO IS GET THERE
CHEEK SWAB.
CHEEK SWAB. >> IF YOU WOULD.
>> LET'S SEE IF WE CAN GET THAT
TO HAPPEN.
TO HAPPEN. LANDON, HOW DID YOU GET
INVOLVED?
INVOLVED?
INVOLVED? >> ACTUALLY A SIMPLE STORY.
I JUST DONATED BLOOD WITH A
FRIEND IN COLLEGE AND HE
MENTIONED HE WAS GOING TO JOIN
THE STEM CELL REGISTRY IN ORDER
A SWAB KIT AND ASKED IF I
WANTED TO DO IT WITH HIM.
I REALLY DID NOT EVEN KNOW WHAT
I WAS SIGNING UP FOR WHEN I
SIGNED UP AND I FIGURED IF HE'S
DOING IT I MIGHT AS WILL DO IT
TOO.
TOO.
TOO. I
TOO. I SENT IN MY CHEEK SWAB KIT AND
THAT GOT THE BALL ROLLING.
>> AND YOU WERE MATCHED.
>> I WAS.
>> I WAS.
>> I WAS. ABOUT SIX MONTHS LATER I GOT A
CALL THAT I WAS POTENTIALLY A
MATCH WITH A CANCER PATIENT AND
ASKED IF I WANTED TO DO FURTHER
BLOOD WORK TO SEE IF I REALLY
WAS AS GOOD A MATCH AS THEY
THOUGHT IT MIGHT BE.
SO, I STARTED TO THINK, WHAT
THAT I ACTUALLY SIGN UP FOR?
WHAT WAS THAT SWAB I SENT IN?
I DID FURTHER BLOOD WORK.
A COUPLE MONTHS LATER THEY
CALLED ME AGAIN AND SAID THE
PATIENT'S DOCTOR DECIDED TO GO
WITH YOU AS THE MATCH.
YOU ARE A PERFECT 10 OUT OF 10
MATCH.
MATCH.
MATCH. DO
MATCH. DO YOU WANT TO GO FORWARD?
AT THAT POINT THE GRAVITY
STARTED TO HIT ME AND I KNEW IT
WASN'T A MATCH FOR THIS PERSON
BUT I WAS IN THE MATCH.
THERE WAS A REASON.
THE DONATION PROCESS WAS
ACTUALLY PRETTY SIMPLE.
I DID THE STYLE THAT 84% OF
DONATIONS TURN OUT TO BE WHICH
IS PERIPHERAL BLOOD STEM CELL
NUMBER THEY CALL IT WHICH
BASICALLY MEANS I GOT SHOTS 4'
4" DAYS BEFORE MY DONATION DATE
TO BOOST MY STEM CELL COUNT AND
KICK MY IMMUNE SYSTEM INTO
OVERDRIVE AND ON DONATION DAY I
WENT IN AND LAY IN A HOSPITAL
BED.
BED.
BED. HE
BED. HE PULLED BLOOD FOR MY RIGHT
ARM AND SPUN IT OUT AND IN A
CENTRIFUGE, PROMPTED INTO THE
LEFT ARM.
LEFT ARM.
LEFT ARM. I WATCHED A COUPLE MOVIES AND
OVER ALL THERE WAS VERY MINOR
PAIN.
PAIN.
PAIN. THERE WERE SOME SIDE EFFECTS
FROM THE SHOTS BUT I WENT TO
THE MARINERS GAME THE NIGHT
BEFORE AND DONATED.
NOTHING CRITICAL.
NOTHING CRITICAL. >> AND YOU MET THE WOMAN WHOSE
LIFE YOU HELPED SAVE.
>> I DID.
>> I DID.
>> I DID. I FILLED UP THE STEM CELLS.
THIS SHIP THEM OFF TO THIS
PERSON I DID NOT KNOW IT AFTER
A YEAR WE COULD REVEAL
OURSELVES TO EACH OTHER.
WE STARTED WRITING EMAILS BACK
AND FORTH AND SHARING OUR OWN
EXPERIENCES.
EXPERIENCES. SHE TOLD ME DURING THOSE EMAILS
THAT SHE HAD A GRANDSON WHO
BRISTLED HER INITIAL PROGNOSIS
OF LESS THAN A YEAR BEFORE SHE
FOUND ME AS A MATCH, SHE WAS
NOT SUPPOSED TO LIVE LONG
ENOUGH TO MEET AND NOW SHE GETS
TO SPEND A COUPLE DAYS A WEEK
WITH HIM AND SHE THINKS OF ME
EVERY TIME SHE SPENDS TIME WITH
HIM.
HIM.
HIM. >>
HIM. >> THAT CHANGES EVERYTHING.
WHAT ARE THE, OTHER AGE LIMITS?
>> WHAT WE TEST IS 18 THROUGH
44-YEAR-OLDS AS THEY HAVE THE
LONGEST TIME OF BEING ON THE
REGISTRY BECAUSE IT TAKES TIME
FOR YOU TO MATCH WITH THE
PATIENT.
PATIENT.
PATIENT. WOULD LIKE TO GET FOLKS WITHIN
THAT 18-44 TWO SWAB.
THEY CAN ACTUALLY TEXT A CODE.
WE HAVE THE CODE, LYN AND THAT
THE CONTEXTUAL NUMBER 61474 TO
ORDER THEIR SWAB KIT DIRECTLY
TO THEIR HOME.
THAT WAY THEY DO THE CHEEK
SWAB, REGISTER WITH US AND SEND
IT IN AND WE CAN TYPE THAT IN
AND HOPE THEY CAN BE THE MATCH
FOR LYNN OR AT LEAST A MATCH
FOR ONE OF THE 10,000+ PATIENTS
WHO SEARCH EVERY YEAR FOR THEIR
LIFE SAVINGS STEM CELL MATCH.
>> IS THERE ANY REASON FOR
SOMEONE OLDER THAN THAT TO GIVE
A TRY ?
A TRY ?
A TRY ? >> ONE OF THE THINGS IS
PHYSICIANS ULTIMATELY SEARCH
FOR A YOUNGER DONOR WITH THE
PATIENT.
PATIENT.
PATIENT. AS THE YOUNGER DAUGHTERS LEAD
TO BETTER OUTCOMES IN THE EVENT
THAT WE ARE REALLY SURE THAT
HAVING THE YOUNG DONOR,
STRAPPING YOUNG MEN LIKE LANDON
OR WOMEN THAT ARE THERE TO
DONATE THEIR HEALTHY STEM
CELLS, WE HAVE LESS