My marrow donor story On September 11, 1997, I donated some of my bone marrow to an 8-year-old boy who had Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia. He needed the bone marrow transplant in order to survive. Although I was very willing to meet the boy and his family, I was not given his contact information for three years. During this time, I worked for Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches to help other patients who have leukemia find their matching donor. In December 2000, the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) finally gave me information about the boy whose life I saved. Shortly after receiving this information, I talked to the boy for the very first time. His name is Baxter Chua. He is now 12 years old and lives in Malaysia. He is a smart, young boy who loves to travel, wants to be a pilot when he grows up, and would love to visit Disneyland one day. If you want to know more about my donation experience, visit this site or read this article. Right now, there is a 39-year-old Filipino named Jimby McIlvaine from New Jersey who also needs a bone marrow transplant. He has Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. Goto the Miracle For Jimby website for more information on how you can help him and others like him. Currently, I attend UCLA School of Public Health where I'm going for my Master's in Public Health in Biostatistics. |
