Andrew Park finds a bone marrow donor!
Andrew Park, the 17 year old boy from Illinois who ODPC honored with a bone marrow drive last month, is now in remission and has found a bone marrow donor in the registry!
From his father’s blog:
Dr. Sonali started by saying since his chromosome 7 and 8 have diffused and with Andrew being in remission, his chances of survival just got much better and he is in IDEAL shape to go into transplant. And then she broke the news that there is a 41 year old female in the states who is a 6 of 8 high resolution match…
… So, we left last Thursday’s meeting knowing the transplant team would reach out to the donor and ask for dates for the donation. The ideal date with Andrew’s chemo schedule was May 8th for donation. WELL, WE JUST GOT WORD THE DONOR WILL BE DONATING HER MARROW FOR ANDREW ON MAY 16TH AND ANDREW WILL HAVE HIS TRANSPLANT NEXT DAY, MAY 17.
I can’t imagine the excitement that the news of a donor must have brought the entire Park family. While Andrew’s journey is still far from over, he has taken a massive, massive step forward.
Timothy Song 40+ Days Past Transplant
Alice Song’s blog is one of my most emotional reads on the Internet. Her posts run the gamut of emotions — a combination of love, hope and despair all rolled into one. The sincerity in which she expresses her joys and fears makes me think of my own mother and what her thought processes must have been like when she was at my bedside everyday. It really hits home for me.
I blogged throughout my time in the hospital and it wasn’t always easy. There’s a conflict between the fact that people who love you want to sincerely know what’s going on and the fact that nothing that’s going on is really anyone’s business. Sickness is intensely personal. It’s an act of selflessness and vulnerability to become emotionally transparent with the world in a difficult time and Alice Song has done that over and over again. She’s personalized the need for a donor from the perspective of a mother. If you are reading this and are still unsure why donating is so important, I encourage you to read through her blog. On this website I’m armed with statistics and anecdotes, but those pale in comparison to the words of a mother of a sick child.
As of day 44, Timothy’s white blood cell count is increasing, his medications are dropping, his rashes are disappearing and his appetite is returning. Like Andrew, Timothy is not completely out of the woods, but he’s come an incredibly long way.
To both Andrew and Timothy, here’s to successful transplants and full recoveries.
God bless.