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Local youth shows need for blood, marrow donors
by alicia dorset
staff writer
April 3, 2005 - The City of Southfield and the American Red Cross will host the annual community blood bone marrow drive" from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. April 12-13 at the Southfield Pavilion to help replenish a small blood supply throughout the country.
"The need for blood is greater than ever," said Nimrod Rosenthal, director of community relations for Southfield.
This is the third year for the event in Southfield, according to Rosenthal.
"It's a community-wide event," Rosenthal said. "We've already been doing it for three years. We'd like to encourage all residents to respond to the drive."
To donate blood, donors must be at least 17 years old, weigh at least 110 pounds and be in "good" general health. There is no maximum age to donate blood.
To bring home the national need for blood, organizers have been focusing their campaign efforts on Portia Dave, a 17-year-old Southfield High School student who has aplastic anemia.
Although Dave is currently in remission, she may need a donor in the future from the National Marrow Donor program. Having a list of potential marrow and stem cell donors would make meeting that need possible. Often marrow and stem cell transplants are the only treatment options for patients with life-threatening disorders involving blood, genetics or the immune system.
"It makes it more meaningful in Southfield with the blood donation and marrow drive," Rosenthal said of Dave's involvement.
Representatives will be on hand at the event to sign up residents interested in becoming a bone marrow donor. Registering to become a bone marrow donor takes only a few steps, according to drive officials.
Interested individuals will fill out a brief health questionnaire and give a small sample of blood during the drive. Volunteers for the national registry must between 18-60 years of age and in good health. There is a need for African-American volunteers, as well as those with other ethnic backgrounds.
While appointments aren't necessary to donate during the drive, they are encouraged. Appointments can be set up by calling Southfield Community Relations at (248) 796-5130 from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday-Friday, or by registering online at www.givelife.org with the sponsor code "Southfield." The Southfield Pavilion is located at 26000 Evergreen Road.
For questions regarding blood donation, please call the American Red Cross at (313) 494-2779.
Kailee enduring after 2nd transplant
January 20, 2006 - The news continues to be good for the 9-year-old Albuquerque girl whose courageous battle with a rare blood disease has been reported around the globe.
The parents of Kailee Wells say their daughter's blood counts, taken Thursday, are at or near normal levels - a sign that the second marrow transplant she underwent Nov. 7 in a Wisconsin hospital may have given her a second chance at a normal life.
"I have not seen my little girl so happy and full of giggles in such a very long time," Kailee's mother, Linda Wells, said in an e-mail Thursday evening from their home near Milwaukee, where they have lived for more than a year to be closer to Kailee's doctors. "Thank you, Lord, and for all the people who are helping to give us our sweet Kailee back."
Four years ago this week, Kailee Wells came down with a bloody nose that wouldn't quit. Doctors diagnosed her ailment as a symptom of very severe aplastic anemia, a relatively rare and often fatal disease that causes the marrow to stop making enough red blood cells to support life.
But the Wellses wouldn't quit. They began a worldwide search for a marrow donor match, traveling twice to China where they had adopted Kailee. In the process, they found donor matches for other children. But no perfect match was found for Kailee until late last year when a 28-year-old physician in China was tested.
"Kailee's Chinese name, Chang Ban, means `never to be alone,' " Linda Wells said. "China, in her wisdom, was right."
Cancer Gone from Little Girl After Much Prayer
August 14, 2006 - (CNN) - Doctors say a 7-year-old girl in Oregon mysteriously overcame a year-long battle with cancer. They made the discovery just one day before Victoria Roberts was scheduled to undergo a bone marrow transplant.
"I was shocked. I was really shocked and then I got happy, really happy," says Victoria Roberts.
Victoria's Oncologist, Dr. Colleen Delaney says," The report came in and said no evidence of aplastic anemia."
Dr. Delaney consulted with several colleagues but came up with no explanations. She told the Roberts that Victoria's turnaround was very rare.
"That's where I wish I knew. I would love to be able to tell them when it happened and why it happened, but I can't really say that," says Dr. Delaney.
While doctors cannot explain Victoria's recovery, her mother, Jacqueline Roberts, says she knows who to thank, "We know that God does miracles and we have had so many people praying for us and there is power in prayer."
Victoria's white blood cell counts are still low, so doctors will monitor her progress over the next six months. They hope her body will continue to recover on its own.
"We just don't want people to stop praying. It's prayer and faith that have gotten us this far, so we need to keep those prayers coming to get us the rest of the way," says Victoria's mother.
Volunteers helped the Roberts family raise more than $300,000 to pay for what their insurance would not cover. Donors fell in love with the 7-year-old who never stopped smiling, even through the toughest of times.
"I'd just like to say thanks to all of you for helping me and praying too," says Victoria.
The Roberts now hope Victoria won't need the money and instead the donations can help other families and children.
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