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Aplastic Anemia News - Return to News Menu
To save a life, Friends hold bone marrow drive to help Enfield girl, Windsor father
By:Meg Duffy, For the Journal Inquirer
01/16/2006 - For Aileen Fearon, 9, and her family of Enfield, finding a bone marrow donor that can cure Aileen of aplastic anemia has been a focal point of their lives for the past six years.
Finding a similar donor for Keith Orzechowski, 41, of Windsor has been a driving force in his life and that of his family as he battles leukemia.
Although the Fearons and Orzechowskis didn't initially know of each other they have since learned about each other's plight through Susan McCarron, a mutual friend from Windsor.
And now that friend and others are holding a bone marrow drive at the Elks Club in Windsor on Thursday, Jan. 19, in the hope that a match donor can be found for Aileen and Orzechowski that can result in life-saving bone marrow transplants for both of them. There is no fee charged for anyone wanting to be tested at the drive to see if they are a bone marrow match for Aileen or Orzechowski,although donations will be accepted to defray some of the cost of the lab work.
The organizers are asking that donors make an appointment to be tested Thursday-the testing takes place between 1 to 7 p.m.- although walkins will be accepted. Aileen's parents, Michael and Marie Fearon of 31 Colonial Drive, have been desperately searching for a bone marrow match for Aileen, who's been battling aplastic anemia since she was 3 years old.
Her sister, Maeve, 7, along with other family members, are not matches for Aileen's bone marrow. Because Aileen has a severe case of aplastic anemia, finding a match is crucial for her survival.
Aplastic anemia is a group of disorders that prevents bone marrow from producing red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets. Aileen's symptoms include bruising, fatigue, susceptibility to infection, and weakness.
Currently, she undergoes weekly red blood cell and platelet transfusions to increase her counts.
Perfect match elusive
The Fearons have aggressively searched for a match donor, but so far without success.
"We've been all around the country going to doctors," her mother, Marie, said in a recent interview.
Marie, a former store manager, quit her job when Aileen was diagnosed to take care of her daughter. Her husband, Michael, is a manager of an auto parts store.
Aileen used to be an Irish step dancer at Duffy Academy in East Hartford, but the disease has placed limitations on her activity level. Doctor appointments force her to miss at least two half days of school a week. Last year her disease caused her to be out of school from February until the end of the year.
While Aileen has kept up with her schooling and is a student at Enfield Montessori School, the town provides a tutor when she is unable to attend.
Marie explained that she heard through McCarron about Orzechowski and his quest for a bone marrow donor.
McCarron knew Orzechowski because their children were on the Windsor Water Rats swim team with his children She and her friend, Cliona Beaulieu, had previously organized a general bone marrow drive before they decided to set up another one dedicated to both Orzechowski and Aileen.
"I haven't seen him in person yet, but I'm excited to meet him," Marie said of Orzechowski.
The Fearons hope to attend a portion of the drive.
After the drive, the Fearons and the Orzechowskis will both be notified in one to two months whether a match was found. The New England branch of the National Marrow Donor Program in West Hartford will perform the analysis and inform the family doctors for both Aileen and Orzechowski of the results.
If a donor is found, the Fearons will travel to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in Memphis, Tenn., or another hospital with a specialist in aplastic anemia who will perform the transplant.
"If we don't find a donor we'll have to do a nontraditional transplant," Marie said.
This type of transplant involves a donor who is not a match. However, the patient's body runs the risk of rejecting the foreign cells and attacking them. For this reason, finding a donor who is a match is extremely important, Marie said.
For Orzechowski, who lives with his wife and three children at 72 Farmstead Lane, finding a bone marrow donor who is a match is equally important.
It was while undergoing routine hernia surgery a year ago that doctors noticed his lymph nodes were abnormally large, he explained.
Further examination showed that he was suffering from an aggressive form of chronic lymphositic leukemia. Although he was diagnosed less than a year ago, the cancer is quite advanced and a transplant is necessary for his survival.
Although members of his family, including his sister, were tested, none was found to be a match.
Despite the cancer, Orzechowski still manages to serve as an information technology professional at St. Paul Travelers in Hartford. His wife, Suzette, is a registered nurse while his children - twins Melissa and James, 11, and Kyle, 5 - are active swimmers and soccer players.
Orzechowski won't be able to attend Thursday's bone marrow drive because he'll be chauffeuring his children to their various after-school activities that day, but his wife may attend the event.
If a donor is found for him, his recovery time will be extensive.
In a recent interview, he explained that he will have to be in the hospital at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston for about six weeks, then won't be able to leave his house for a year to ward off infection.
If no donors are found, he is unsure of what the next step will be.
From January to June 2005, he underwent extensive chemotherapy. After taking some time off from treatment, the therapy appeared to effectively raise his blood counts.
Although the leukemia is critical, he is more concerned about Aileen's situation than his own.
"I'm not a child. To see children in this situation is the tough part," he said. "I've had no anger with this. I've just been fortunate to focus on the fact that (my wife and children) are not sick."
He is also incredibly appreciative of the help that has been generated by his family and friends.
"I'm going to have to hand out a lot of thank-you cards," he said.
The testing to see if someone is a bone marrow match involves donating about two tablespoons of blood. The whole process takes roughly 30 minutes.
The government subsidizes part of the test, and there is no cost to the donors, although donations will be accepted.
Donors must be between 18 and 60 years old with no history of AIDS, hepatitis, heart disease, or cancer. They must have a good attitude and be willing to sign a release form. Upon signing the form, a donor promises to donate should a match be made with their marrow and anyone on the national registry.
Even if Aileen and Orzechowski don't find a match, Thursday's bone marrow drive could result in a match for someone else nationwide.
According to the National Marrow Donor Program, the transplant procedure is fairly simple. After anesthetizing a donor, hollow needles are inserted into the pelvis and used to extract marrow.
After the procedure, donors may be tired and experience some soreness in their lower backs. However, they can return to their usual routines in a few days and will feel relatively normal in about two weeks. A donor's marrow is completely replaced in four to six weeks.
The public is invited to participate in the bone marrow drive, which will be held on Thursday, Jan. 19, from 1 to 7 p.m. at the Elks Club, located at 130 Deerfield Road in Windsor.
To donate, you should to schedule an appointment by calling either Cliona Beaulieu at 285-8285, Susan McCarron at 683-0751, or Donna Davis at 688-4528 any time before the drive.
If anyone would like to donate money to defray the cost of the lab work, please make checks payable to the Aileen/Keith Fund and send them to Cliona Beaulieu, 309 Trapper Circle, Windsor, CT 06095
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