Team Be The Match is important to me

Eric Buckley is married to Erin Buckley and they have three children: Ryan, age 14, Sarah, age 12, and Luke, age 8. He is the Assistant Principal of Peabody Veterans Memorial High School. A lifelong resident of Peabody, MA, Eric is an avid runner. He has run the Boston Marathon 8 times and enjoys running local races with his brothers and friends. In the spring of 2009, Eric was diagnosed with Hodgkin's Lymphoma. Chemotherapy treatments during the summer of ‘09 were not successful, and recurrent Classical Hodgkin’s Lymphoma was diagnosed in January of 2010. That summer, he had a more difficult chemo regimen, followed by a stem cell transplant of his own cells in November. In March of 2011, after more symptoms emerged, he was given a new diagnosis: Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma, a form of Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

"When we heard the news that Eric would need a donor stem cell transplant, we hoped one of his two brothers would be a match. They were not. We worried about finding a donor that matched. Within a few days, we learned that there were two complete matches! After a third summer of chemotherapy, he received the stem cells from the unrelated donor on August 12, 2011. We can’t tell you how much we thought about Eric’s donor, the appointments he or she was having, and the injections he or she was getting to cause the body to make extra stem cells for Eric. On the day of the transplant, we were excited and very mindful of the sacrifice made by this complete stranger. It was a big day for us, and also a big day for someone else. It is truly humbling. We don’t know how or why this donor came to sign up for the registry, but that decision gave Eric a second chance. We are so grateful for this act of kindness that we want to give back somehow. Maybe in the future some family will be wondering how THEIR donor came to sign up, and we like the idea that maybe we had some small part in helping. Thank you, donor and “Be the Match” Registry, for being there for us when we needed you."

     A simple cheek swab is all that is needed to determine if you could be the one to save one of the thousands of patients in need of a bone marrow transplant.  You’ll only be contacted if you’re a match for someone in need.

Click here to watch a short video that explains why your commitment is so important: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=azGmJ7wQVko

The need for diversity is very important; of the 8 million members on the registry, only 10% are Hispanic, 7% are African American and 7% are Asian.

Tissue typing is an expensive process, so financial contributions of any size are greatly appreciated, and you can make a donation right here on this page.

Below is more information about joining the registry:

REGISTRY GUIDELINES:

To be a member of the registry, all you need is to:

-       Be between the ages of 18 and 60.

-       Be willing to donate to any patient in need.

-       Meet the basic health guidelines.

If you are unable to join, please consider becoming a volunteer to help recruit members, or make a financial contribution to help keep the registry growing.

Health Guidelines:

The conditions below would prevent you from joining the Be the Match Registry:

-       HIV or risk of HIV

-       Hepatitis or risk for Hepatitis

-       Most forms of heart disease or cancer

-       Chronic lung disease

-       Diabetes requiring insulin or diabetes-related health issues

-       Diseases that affect blood clotting or bleeding

-       Recent back surgery, or severe or ongoing back problems

-       Autoimmune/neurological disorders such as lupus, rheumatoid arthritis or multiple sclerosis

-       Being an organ or marrow transplant recipient

-       Significant obesity

IF YOU MATCH A PATIENT:

Below are the steps to donation if you are identified as a match for someone.  

TWO WAYS TO DONATE

The patient’s doctor requests one of two types of donation, depending on what is best for the patient.

PBSC donation

Peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation is the most common form of donating today.  This is a non-surgical, out-patient procedure.  For five days before donation, the donor receives daily injections of a drug that increases blood-forming cells in the bloodstream.  On the fifth day, the donor’s blood is removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells.  The remaining blood is returned to the donor through the other arm.

Marrow donation

Marrow donation is a surgical, usually out-patient procedure.  While the donor us under anesthesia, the doctor uses needles to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of the pelvic bone.  The donor’s marrow completely replaces itself within four to six weeks.  After donation, marrow donors will have slight soreness, but they are back to their usual routine in one to seven days.

Please feel free to contact our Be The Match representative, Tracy Julian at 800-676-4545 x 7050  or tjulian@nmdp.org if you have any questions. We hope you will take a few minutes to attend the drive and help save a life.

Checks can be written to:

 Be The Match Foundation

Please mail to:

Tracy Julian

NMDP

433 South Main Street

West Hartford, CT 06105

Thank you!

Be the one to save a life. Be The Match

Team Be The Match is a nationwide community committed to helping patients in need of a marrow transplant by raising funds to add more potential marrow donors to Be The Match Registry. 

By supporting me, you will help raise funds for patients in need of an unrelated marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant.  Together we have the potential to truly make a difference in the lives of thousands of men, women and children in need of a life-saving transplant. 

What does Be The Match do?

Be The Match works to provide hope and deliver a second chance at life to patients by:

* Recruiting and supporting potential donors: To connect patients with donors, Be The Match manages the largest and most diverse donor registry — nearly 8 million marrow donors and nearly 100,000 cord blood units. Donors can turn to their Donor Advocacy Program for support throughout the donation process.

* Supporting patients: To help patients access treatment, Be The Match offers financial support and educational resources.

* Educating doctors: Referring physicians can turn to Be The Match for information about transplant advances, caring for transplant patients and the importance of timely referral for transplant.

* Advancing science: Be The Match's research programs have advanced the science of bone marrow and cord blood transplant, from better matching the right donor to the right patient for improving post-transplant treatment. 

Why you should help

Be The Match relies on our support to collect contributions from people like us so that it can further its mission.  Proceeds will help add more potential donors to the Be The Match Registry.  I hope you'll consider making a contribution today.  Together we can help save lives!