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In October of 2006, Margaret Chlopek was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous
Leukemia (AML), a blood disease that is fatal without a bone marrow
transplant. A 38-year old mother of two small children, Margaret could
not find a match in her family. You can help save Margaret and others
like her by being tested as a prospective bone marrow donor. Volunteers
are registered with the National Bone Marrow Registry for the benefit of
all patients worldwide in need of transplants.
His smile lights up a room. His energy and enthusiasm for everything in
life brings great joy to everyone he meets. And yet, you would
never know that this bright-spirited 2-year-old is in the fight of his
life.
Felipe Aguilera suffers from a rare genetic disorder called Fanconi
Anemina (FA). In this life threatening disease, blood components fail to
do their job. This leads to a weakened immune system and the body cannot
fight disease. Already in his young life Baby Felipe has received several
transfusions and has undergone seven surgeries. There are other health
complications and an increased risk for developing cancer and leukemia.
The accepted treatment of FA is a bone marrow transplant. This can allow
the body to produce healthy blood.
Felipe’s parents, who live in Aurora, IL with their three children, are
Mexican immigrant family aliens who have risked stepping forward to save
their son’s life.
“We will do everything possible to save our son,” his mother Nancy said.
“We are so grateful to the people at LifeSource for all you are doing to
help our family. I can never than you enough.”
Baby Ray-Ray has a very rare condition called “Bubble Boy” disease, a
condition where he has no immune system. Treatment for this disease
requires medication and blood transfusions. Thanks to the continued
generosity of blood donors, he can receive his treatments while he waits
for a bone marrow transplant.
It was a joyful moment in time … a moment when time seems to stand still
as emotions well inside you as tears fill your eyes. It was the moment
when 10-year-old Selena Garza met Gus Reyes, the bone marrow donor who
saved her life.
This magical moment was made possible through the efforts of the
LifeSource Bone Marrow Department, the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP),
Abbott Molecular, and the unselfish gift of a stranger.
It all started in March of 2006 when Garza, who hails from Texas, was
diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). A bone marrow
transplant was her only hope. No one in her family was a match so she had
to rely on the generosity of a stranger to save her life.
Meanwhile, on March 7, 2006, LifeSource held a blood and bone marrow
drive at Abbott Molecular in Des Plaines. Reyes, 34, a regular platelet
donor, decided to join the registry. His initial test results arrived on
May 8 – he was a potential donor for an 8-year-old girl suffering from
ALL. “When they told me I would be helping a little girl, I was
overwhelmed with emotion,” Reyes said. “My thoughts went to my own
9-year-old son and how thankful I would be for someone to help him were
he in the same position.”
Within two weeks additional tests determined Reyes was a perfect match.
He donated his marrow on Aug. 17 and she received his gift the next day.
Now Garza celebrates two birthdays: July 18, the day of her birth, and
Aug. 18, the day Gus Reyes gave her life.
Because of his unselfish gift, today Garza is a typical 10-year-old who
loves the color pink, High School Musical, Bratz dolls, Hanna Montana and
playing with her Tigger stuffed animal that has stayed by her side
throughout her ordeal. The two couldn’t meet for one-year but they were
able to correspond through letters forwarded by the NMDP. “I’m 9 years
old and I’m a female,” Garza wrote in one letter. “Thank you so much for
helping me get well so I can play again like I use to when all of this
didn’t happen.”
The LifeSource Bone Marrow Department worked with Abbott Molecular to
arrange for the Garza family to meet Reyes in person. On Oct. 22 at
Abbott, in front of 200 guests and a multitude of TV and newspaper
reporters, the Garza family was finally able to thank the humble hero
that saved Selena.
The Garza family waited at the front of the room as Jeff Chell, President
of NMPD, asked Reyes to step forward to meet Selena. The camera flashes
were as blinding as the smiles on their faces.
“I prayed to God everyday. Please don’t take her away … she’s too
little,” Selena’s mom Elena said as she choked back the tears. “If it
hadn’t been for you, I wouldn’t have my little girl.”
Selena gave Reyes a great big hug and said, “Thank you for giving my life
back to me.”
Reyes summed up the experience best when he said, “It’s a miracle from
God.”
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