Page 23 - Spirit_Summer2021

KIND TO THE Bone improving the odds

ust before Thanksgiving 2019, Robyn
Marcinkiewicz ‘93 was on her way home from
Jthe gym and found herself inches away from
a head-on collision. The other driver was distracted,
looking at his phone. After the incident, all Robyn
wanted to do was get out of her car and scream
at the driver. His carelessness could have caused WHY WE NEED BONE
MARROW DONORS
either damage to Robyn’s car or left her seriously Blood cancer is the third
injured. But in that moment, she had someone else leading cause of cancer FEATURE
on her mind, someone she had never even met. deaths and kills more
children than any other
Someone whose life literally depended on hers. disease in the U.S. A bone
Robyn’s relationship with this stranger began almost exactly six marrow transplant can be
years earlier. Her employer, Sprint (now T-Mobile), was hosting its a life-saving treatment for
annual blood drive. A routine donor, Robyn signed up, gave her blood cancers like leukemia
and approximately 70
blood and figured she’d be back to work in under 30 minutes. But other diseases, including
before she could return to her desk, she spotted another booth – a aplastic anemia and
booth recruiting people to become bone marrow donors. Robyn sickle cell disease.
wasn’t a stranger to this process; her friend’s brother, Steve, had While 30% of patients can
recently received a bone marrow transplant in an effort to fight find a donor within their
off leukemia. Because of Steve’s experience, she knew the value family, 70% must rely on
of bone marrow donation. She also knew it was extremely rare perfect strangers to donate.
for people to find a bone marrow match and receive a transplant. Every year, more than
14,000 Americans need
Less than 1% of people find their match via a registry. Knowing transplants using donated
this, she decided to join the registry to help improve the odds. marrow. Less than half
So, she signed the paperwork, let the nurse swab her cheek, and will get them. Diversity
went back to her desk to complete her workday. Six years later, on matters. Most patients find
October 4, 2019, Robyn received an unexpected birthday letter. a donor in someone who
“I always take the day off on my birthday, so I was at home,” she shares their ancestry.
said. “I received a notice on my phone that I would receive a FedEx
letter. The doorbell rang, I signed for it, and almost immediately
after, my phone was ringing and receiving text messages.”
The letter, the calls, the texts, all came from DKMS, an
international nonprofit organization dedicated to the fight against
blood cancer and blood disorders, as well as the organization

SUMMER 2021 Spirit Magazine 21