WSJ profiles Board member
The Wall Street Journal
This week the Wall Street Journal‘s “Donor of the Day” column recognized Charlotte Moss for her efforts to help bone marrow, stem cell, and cord blood transplant patients and their families. Charlotte became very familiar with the cause a decade ago when her brother battled leukemia and she was his donor.
While accompanying her brother through his treatment, Charlotte witnessed firsthand the struggles of transplant patients and their families. She told the Wall Street Journal:
I saw people that I knew weren’t going to make it….Most importantly, there was nobody around to give them that psychological support to boost them up during their treatment, because they couldn’t afford to be there. And that really put the lump in my throat every day.”
Charlotte Moss has been a long-time supporter of The Bone Marrow Foundation and serves as a member of the Board of Directors. She will be honored at the Foundation’s Be A Lifeline Gala being held tonight in New York City.
Cancer Research Pioneer Dies
Dr. John H. Kersey (photo: University of Minnesota)
Dr. John Kersey who successfully completed the world’s first bone marrow transplant for lymphoma in 1975, died last week at the age of 74.
Dr. Kersey was a research pioneer, longtime professor and head of the University of Minnesota team. He was founding director of the University’s Cancer Center, which became a National Cancer Institute-designated cancer center in 1998. He was awarded the Lifetime Achievement Award in 2003 from the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.
The first lymphoma patient that Dr. Kersey cured, Dave Stahl, is still alive today. Dave was 16 at the time of his transplant and had a rare form of cancer – Birkitt’s Lymphoma.
Lifeline Project Profiles: Ana, Eugene, and John
Meet Ana, Eugene, and John. They are the latest Lifeline Project participants to be profiled in our ongoing series highlighting the needs of transplant patients.
Ana
Ana
Ana was initially diagnosed with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma in December of 2009. She was treated with six cycles of R-CHOP chemotherapy and went into remission in June of 2010. Unfortunately she relapsed a year later and would need to undergo more chemotherapy as well as an autologous stem cell transplant. Ana has been through a lengthy treatment and could use help with her medical expenses.
Eugene
Eugene
Eugene is a former case manager, social worker, and secondary school teacher whose working career was cut short in January of 2009 when he was diagnosed with multiple myeloma. Despite undergoing treatment and a bone marrow transplant his cancer is still not in remission. Eugene is continuing to undergo treatment, which has put him and his wife in a difficult financial situation. Neither of them can maintain employment while they focus on his care and they are desperately in need of assistance with their rent payments.
John
John
John was diagnosed with myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) in April of 2010. Since that time he has undergone multiple rounds of chemotherapy, several blood transfusions, and a bone marrow transplant. As a result of the lengthy treatment, John could not return to work and was terminated by his employer. His wife, Debra, also needed to stop working in order to be his caregiver. They are now faced with multiple expenses, including the additional cost of housing near the transplant center. Despite the challenges they are focusing on the future and have just celebrated their 35th wedding anniversary.
To help these or any of the Lifeline Project participants, click here.
