GO
GO HAWKS!
GO HAWKS! >>> SO BONE MARROW TRANSPLANTS
CAN HELP A NUMBER OF DIFFERENT
ILLNESSES LIKE CANCER AND
SICKLE-CELL ANEMIA.
SICKLE-CELL ANEMIA. THESE ARE THINGS THAT CAN BE
DEBILITATING FOR SOMEBODY EVEN
CAUSING DEATH.
CAUSING DEATH. THERE IS A NEW PUSH TO FIND
BONE MARROW MATCHES.
JOINING US TO TALK ABOUT THIS
IS DOCTOR MILANO AND ALEXIS
HILL.
HILL.
HILL. FIRST OF ALL TELL US. THIS IS
THE SEATTLE CANCER CARE
ALLIANCE CAMPAIGN.
ALLIANCE CAMPAIGN. >> WE LAUNCHED A KICKOFF EVENT
WITH THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN
BE THE MATCH AND THE
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON.
THE SEATTLE CANCER CARE
ALLIANCE AS PART OF THAT
HELPING TO RAISE AWARENESS OF
PEOPLE GETTING ON THE
REGISTRY.
REGISTRY.
REGISTRY. >> THEY ARE ALWAYS INVOLVED IN
STUFF THAT DOES GOOD.
FOR THOSE THAT ARE NOT
FAMILIAR WITH THE ORGANIZATION
WHAT DOES BE THE MATCH DO?
>> BE THE MATCH IS THE
ORGANIZATION TRYING TO
ORGANIZE AND FIND POTENTIAL
DONORS FOR A TRANSPLANT.
IT IS A CURE FOR PATIENTS WHO
HAVE BLOOD CANCER AND IT IS
REALLY IMPORTANT BECAUSE WE
DON'T HAVE ENOUGH DONORS.
>> HOW WOULD SOMEBODY GO ABOUT
GETTING TESTED TO FIND OUT IF
THEY ARE A MATCH.
>> IT IS A PROCESS.
IT STARTS WITH A GENETIC TEST
AND THEN YOU GET PUT INTO
THESE REGISTRIES THAT CONTAIN
ABOUT 25 MILLION POTENTIAL
DONORS.
DONORS.
DONORS. THE LIKELIHOOD OF FINDING A
DONOR REALLY DEPENDS ON YOUR
ETHNICITY AND THAT'S WHERE
THIS COMES IN PLACE BECAUSE
CAUCASIANS ARE MORE
REPRESENTED THAN ANY OTHER
ETHNICITY SO IT'S IMPORTANT TO
STIMULATE AND RAISE AWARENESS
OF DONORS BELONGING TO OTHER
ETHNICITY IS.
ETHNICITY IS. >> TELL US ABOUT THAT.
>> IN MAY 2016 I WAS DIAGNOSED
WITH A FORM OF LEUKEMIA AND MY
DOCTOR TOLD ME THAT I HAVE 12
MONTHS TO LIVE IF I DID NOT
START TREATMENT RIGHT AWAY.
WE STARTED INTENSIVE
CHEMOTHERAPY BUT I NEEDED A
TRANSPLANT.
TRANSPLANT. A STEM CELL TRANSPLANT WOULD
SAVE MY LIFE AND CURE MY
CANCER.
CANCER.
CANCER. WE STARTED LOOKING.
I REALLY HOPED THAT MY TWIN
BROTHER WOULD BE A MATCH.
WE LOOKED TO THE REGISTRY AND
THERE WERE TWO PEOPLE THAT
LOOKED LIKE THEY COULD BE A
MATCH BUT THEY DECLINED TO
MOVE FORWARD WITH THE PROCESS.
I WAS PREPARED -- MY HUSBAND
AND I MET DOCTOR MILANO AND WE
WERE PREPARED TO MOVE FORWARD
WITH A MISMATCH THAT WE KNEW
WOULD NOT SAVE MY LIFE BUT IT
MIGHT EXTEND IT FOR A LITTLE
BIT.
BIT.
BIT. AND
BIT. AND DOCTOR MILANO TOLD US
ABOUT THE OPTION OF USING A
CORD BLOOD TRANSPLANT.
THAT IS DONATED UMBILICAL CORD
FROM A NEWBORN BABY.
AND THAT IS WHAT WE DID.
I AM TWO YEARS OUT NOW.
>> CONGRATULATIONS.
>> CONGRATULATIONS. WHEN YOU HEAR ABOUT THAT YOU
THINK ABOUT ALL OF THE PEOPLE
THAT WE COULD ALL HELP.
WAS THERE AN EVENT RECENTLY IT
UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON?
>> WE HAVE THE KICKOFF FOR THE
PARTNERSHIP.
PARTNERSHIP. WE HAD OVER 400 PEOPLE ATTEND
AND JUST TO RAISE AWARENESS
ABOUT GETTING ON THE REGISTRY.
ALSO RAISING AWARENESS ABOUT
THE NEED FOR PEOPLE OF COLOR
TO BE ON THE REGISTRY.
PEOPLE WHO ARE WHITE HAVE A
70% LIKELIHOOD.
70% LIKELIHOOD. PEOPLE THAT ARE AFRICAN-
AMERICAN HAVE ABOUT A 19%
CHANCE AND PEOPLE WHO ARE
MIXED-RACE WITH ME HAVE A MUCH
SMALLER HOPE OF FINDING A
MATCH.
MATCH.
MATCH. WE
MATCH. WE JUST WANT EVERYBODY TO GET
ON THE REGISTRY AND REALLY
FOLLOW THROUGH AND MAKE THE
COMMITMENT.
COMMITMENT. AND BE A SUPERHERO.
>> YOU HAVE AN EVENT COMING UP
LET'S TALK ABOUT THAT.
>> THERE IS AN EVENT COMING UP
THIS ONE JUST CAME BACK FROM
MINNEAPOLIS. THE TEAM WAS
CALLING SUPERHERO BECAUSE HE
REALLY CAN HAVE A VERY
MEANINGFUL IMPACT IN THE LIFE
OF PEOPLE LIKE ALEXIS.
NELLY ARE EXTENDING THE SAME
THING HERE AT THE SEATTLE
CANCER CARE ALLIANCE.
IT IS GOING TO BE NEXT
WEDNESDAY FROM 10 AM TO 2 PM.
YOU CAN GET INFORMATION ABOUT
THAT PART OF THE REGISTRY AND
ALSO BE TESTED.
>> THANK YOU SO MUCH.
IT IS AN HONOR TO SIT HERE
NEXT TO YOU AND SEE HER
SMILING FACE.
SMILING FACE. THANK YOU FOR SHARING YOUR
STORY.
STORY.
STORY. WE
STORY. WE ARE GLAD THAT WE STILL SEE
HERE SMILING FACE.
WE WILL CHECK BACK IN WITH YOU
SOON.
SOON.
SOON. >>>
SOON. >>> JORDAN I WILL SEND IT OVER
TO YOU.
TO YOU.
TO YOU. >> MY LITTLE SISTER HAD
LEUKEMIA WHEN SHE WAS TWO.
ALEXIS, I AM GLAD YOU ARE
DOING WELL.
DOING WELL. THAT IS AWESOME.
IT IS AMAZING THE MODERN