How to Save a Life in a Sitting

County to Host Joint Blood/Bone Marrow Registry Drive Tuesday

Lymphoma survivor Marsha Cook, a Land Use/Environmental Planner III in DPW's Watershed Protection Program, with her brother. Cook received a life-saving bone marrow transplant from him.

It started with a few subtle symptoms.

County employee Marsha Cook noticed her right shoulder had been sore for a while. A lymph node in her neck had become swollen, too.

Within weeks, Cook, a Land Use/Environmental Planner in the County’s Watershed Protection Program, learned she had a type of cancer called follicular non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. It is one of the more common forms of lymphoma, which is a cancer of a part of the immune system called the lymphatic system, according to a National Institutes of Health webpage on the topic.

“It was sort of prolific in my body, but I wasn’t having any severe symptoms, said Cook, who was 42 at the time of diagnosis.

Her reaction? “How do we fix it?” she wanted to know.

Remarkably, eleven years later, Cook is in remission and working full-time. She credits a bone marrow transplant and blood transfusions she received during the depths of her illness for saving her life.

Cook is telling her story in an effort to encourage other County employees to participate in a blood and bone marrow registry drive Tuesday. The event will run from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. at the County Operations Center, at 5560 Overland Ave., First Floor Training Room (Room 171), San Diego. Appointments are recommended for blood donations through this San Diego Blood Bank signup webpage. Those interested in joining the bone marrow registry can drop in.

Both County employees and the public are welcome to donate blood and join a bone marrow registry operated by Be The Match nonprofit. Testing for one marrow is easy – just get your cheeks swabbed. County officials expect this to be just the start of an ongoing partnership between the County and Be The Match. Additional joint drives are planned for Sept. 12 at the Fallbrook Community Center, Oct. 10 at the San Diego Superior Court in El Cajon, Dec. 9 at the County Operations Center, Dec. 12 at the Fallbrook Community Center and Dec. 17 at the North County Regional Complex in Vista.

Board of County Supervisors Chairman Greg Cox is among those who plan to donate blood at Tuesday’s event, and Supervisor Bill Horn plans to join the bone marrow registry.

Cox has been a stalwart supporter of blood donation efforts over the years, donating more than 16 gallons so far. He wasn’t surprised County employees had found yet another way to help others, this time through the bone marrow registry.

“County employees are very generous, whether it be donating blood or contributing through CECO to help those less fortunate,” Chairman Cox said. “This marrow donor registry drive is another way to help those who need help, and maybe save a life.”

Horn’s inspiration came from a battle against leukemia fought by the spouse of one his policy advisors, whom he called a friend. The employee’s husband received bone marrow transplants, but unfortunately lost the fight.

“Because he had no siblings, he and his wife turned to Be The Match to help locate a possible donor,” Horn said. “A match was finally identified and he received two bone marrow transplants. He tragically lost his battle with cancer, but he had a fighting chance thanks to the kindness of a stranger.” 

The samples collected Tuesday will help Be The Match widen its life saving database of potential bone marrow donors. Marrow donors are urgently needed to save the lives of patients with diseases like leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia, according to Be The Match.

Juan Olmeda, Communicable Disease Investigator/Border Health Assistant in HHSA's Office of Border Health, says he is alive today because of a bone marrow transplant. He was diagnosed with leukemia in 2009.County employee Juan Olmeda said he, too, is alive today in large part because of a bone marrow transplant he received from his sister in 2010. The 55-year-old Communicable Disease Investigator/Border Health Assistant was diagnosed with leukemia the prior year. Though Olmeda is mostly back on his feet, his recovery has been challenging: Olmeda said the color in his cheeks is still not what it once was. He said he bruises easily and has to cover his skin when he goes in the sun.

But he has learned so much, and wants to use that newfound knowledge to help others. He wants County employees who are dealing with similar health issues or facing a bone marrow transplant to know he is available to talk or provide support.

He said he feels incredibly grateful, calling his sister his guardian angel.

“She gave me my life back,” he said. “I feel like I need to do that for other people.”

His story was one of a few featured in this San Diego Blood Bank video.

Cook, too, wants to use her experience to help others. She said she wouldn’t be alive today if her brother hadn’t donated bone marrow that she was able to receive in 2006. She said she’s extra grateful because herbrother hates needles and can’t stand the sight of his own blood.

“For him to be so afraid” and still do this for her meant so much, Cook said.

“I feel very lucky,” she said.

For more information on the bone marrow drive or to get involved, contact Shelley Baker at Be The Match at 714-296-8479 (cell) or sbaker@nmdp.org or visit the organization’s website. For more information on the blood drive or to sign up, visit the San Diego Blood Bank’s online signup webpage or general website or call 1-800-MY-4SDBB(469-7322).