Marrow drive finds a match

Elizabeth Jordan, a doctoral student studying education, signed up to be a bone marrow donor in 2002. The chances of her marrow matching a patient in need of a transplant were one in 20,000, but Jordan still signed the forms and sent in a cheek swab.

Six years later, she received a phone call.

“They asked me if I remembered when I signed up to be a donor way back in 2002. It took me a while, but I finally said, ‘Oh yeah,’” Jordan said.

After Jordan donated her marrow, she learned how big of a difference she made.

“I donated my bone marrow in 2008 and my stem cells saved the life of a 46-year-old woman with leukemia who had no other chance for survival,” Jordan said.

The woman whom Jordan saved is Rhonda Christensen, a research scientist and instructor at the University of North Texas living more than 1,500 miles away.

“I was in tears. … I was so grateful. Most of the folks never find a match,” Christensen said. “Elizabeth is my angel of life.”

Fifty percent of the people who sign up change their minds about donating if they are contacted, Jordan said.

Christensen and Jordan now possess the same blood type. By donating her marrow, Jordan gained not only a blood relative but also another family, she said.

“When I first met Rhonda … her father came up to me and whispered in my ear, ‘Thank you for giving me my daughter back,’” Jordan said.

This experience inspired Jordan to become a member of the National Bone Marrow Program and organize a bone marrow drive at USC. The first drive — held last year — resulted in one match, she said.

Building off that success, Jordan launched a second drive that took place on Friday and enlisted more than 100 students to sign up — approximately 25 percent more students than last year, she said.

On Saturday, Jordan, drive participants and other Trojan volunteers walked five kilometers in the “Be the One Run” fundraiser walk in Long Beach, Calif. The team, called “Walkers 4 Life,” represented USC at the event.

Janice Chan, a San Francisco State graduate and drive volunteer, said, like Christensen, a bone marrow transplant saved her life.

Diagnosed with Hodgkin’s lymphoma in 2005, Chan  underwent numerous rounds of chemotherapy before relapsing, leaving a bone marrow transplant as her only option.

“I got a transplant in December of 2006 from an anonymous donor in Hong Kong. It is important for more minorities to donate because it increases diversity and the chances for a match,” Chan said.

Chan said the donation procedure rarely includes surgery and is usually not painful.

“We have thorough screening and don’t have someone donate if there is the slightest risk,” she said.

Mario Mottley, a sophomore majoring in broadcast journalism, was one of the many students who signed up Friday.

“It is always a joy; life is a great gift and anytime you can preserve it you should,” Mottley said.

Seventy-five percent of patients seeking a life-saving match will die searching, said Raquel Amezquita, a community outreach specialist for the National Marrow Donor Program.

“College students are on the brink of their future and can’t think that far in advance.” Amezquita said. “Signing up today [can] save a life years later.”

Jordan said that the simple choice to sign up for a good cause gave her a more positive outlook on life.

“I continue to be amazed and in awe of how one small decision I made could have such a profound ripple effect,” Jordan said.