Because You Needed A Bone Marrow Donor

Sixteen years is a long time to wait for a phone call. Mount Carmel East Registered Nurse Maureen K. knows. She'd signed up to be a bone marrow donor when the military base where she and her family were living hosted a bone marrow drive. As an aspiring nurse and someone who understood the impact of cancer on so many American families, Maureen didn’t hesitate.

But the call to donate never came. Years passed, addresses changed, and Maureen wondered if she’d ever be able to fulfill the promise she made all those years ago. Then the phone rang. The voice on the other end told her she was a potential match for someone with Non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma. They asked if she was still willing to donate. Of course, she said yes. Maureen started the process of getting physicals, blood work, and a host of other tests to ensure she was eligible to give.

In November 2017, Maureen underwent a procedure for peripheral blood stem cell donation. She may never meet the person whose life she may end up saving, but her desire to give is grounded in the hope that if someone in her own family ever needed a donation, a stranger like her would answer the same call.

Thank you, Maureen, for keeping your promise and being the match. Your patience and your selfless, life-saving act are an inspiration to us all.