Hello. Today is World Cancer Day. I’d like to tell you about a friend of mine named Tracy Jalbuena. Tracy works in the Emergency Room with my dad. They were hired at the same time and so our families have been pretty close. I babysat for Tracy’s kids, Noah and Tess. I dog sit for her dogs, Charlie and Hazel. Tracy and her husband, James Cook, have been extremely supportive of this blog and writing. Tracy also has cancer.
Last August, Tracy was diagnosed with multiple myeloma, the third most common blood cancer. She’s now undergoing chemotherapy and is awaiting a bone marrow transplant. The only problem is that Tracy has yet to find a match. You see Tracy is of mixed German, Chinese, Filipino, and Spanish descent – an extremely rare combination – and no one in the National Bone Marrow Registry is a match for her.
Tracy and her family have been spreading the word about her condition all around the Midcoast area and in Tracy’s hometown and are working on widening the range of their message. They’re not looking for money; they’re asking for people to register for the National Bone Marrow Registry in the hopes of finding a match. On Tracy’s behalf, I ask you do the same.
It’s easy. Just follow the link to BeTheMatch.Org. You fill out a health questionnaire. If you’re over the age of 45, there’s a $100 registration fee because older bone marrow is less viable than younger marrow. The registration fee goes entirely to bone cancer research. If you’re under 45, it’s free. Once you’ve registered online, you’ll receive a swap kit in the mail with a return envelope. You open the kit, swab your cheeks a few times, and put it back in the mail. Easy peasy.
Now, you may be saying to yourself, “that’s great Emily, but I’m not likely to be a match for Tracy because I have a completely different heritage. And besides, doesn’t it hurt to donate bone marrow?” Well, even if you’re not a match for Tracy, you could be a match for someone else and you could save that person’s life.
As to your other question – donating bone marrow is easier than it used to be. Most of the time, they don’t have to drill into your hip to get at the marrow. Now they use an IV to collect the blood, separate out the stem cells that they need and return the rest to you. It’s just a slightly more complex blood donation. So now you’ve no excuse.
Thank you for reading.
Here are a few more places you can visit to learn more about Tracy’s condition:
- Tracy’s blog: https://marrowme.wordpress.com/
- An article about Tracy in the PenBay Pilot
Emily, “thank you” doesn’t even begin to cut it. My heart is filled gratitude for your work in spreading the word this way.
Folks, every word Emily says here is spot-on — right up to and including the bit about how easy and mostly pain-free donation of bone marrow can be nowadays. Getting swabbed for a bone marrow match? Absolutely painless and cost-free! You could be a hero so, so easily.
James, you are so very welcome. I’ve been wracking my brain for ways that I could help.