Student in ‘desperate’ need of transplant
RJ needs your help.
A donor registry drive for Jackson, who needs a bone marrow transplant, will be this Saturday, Nov. 6.
RJ Jackson, a 16-year-old junior at Bob Jones High School has been diagnosed with 4B Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer of the lymph nodes. This is his third relapse in three years and if he gets a donor before the end of December, it will be his second bone marrow transplant.
“We are in clinic for blood and, so far, he has had three units,” according to his mother Vickey Jackson, a teacher at Carmel Elementary School. “RJ was not able to get chemo yesterday because his counts were too low. His body just cannot handle all the toxins. The plan is to give him chemo every other week until the transplant.”
They said the doctors are trying to keep his kidneys and liver as healthy as possible. “There is so much going on right now, all we can do is ask you to continue to pray for guidance and peace,” they said.
After his three-month check-up August, two enlarged lymph nodes were found in his stomach. After more tests and a biopsy of one of the lymph nodes, it was discovered that the cancer was back.
The surrounding communities, along with Be The Match Registry, the largest marrow registry in the world that is “committed to helping patients in need of a marrow transplant,” is putting on a marrow donor registry drive from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 6 at Mount Carmel Elementary School in Huntsville.
“RJ is in a very serious condition and he needs a donor desperately,” said Deleana Allsopp, account executive for Be Match. “We are asking people to come by and swab their cheeks to join the registry and see if they are a match for RJ. If they don’t match RJ, they will remain on the registry and have the opportunity to one day match another patient in need.”
The public is openly invited to the registry at the school, located at 335 Homer Nance Road. Allsopp said the only thing they will do Saturday is complete a consent form and swab their cheeks. No actual marrow or blood will be given at that time.
Cheek swab samples will then be processed and shipped off for tissue typing to see if anyone matches Jackson. She said the cost for each donor who is added to the Be The Match Registry is $100 per person. Each donor is asked to contribute what he or she can toward the cost. No one will be turned away from joining the registry because of a lack of ability to make a monetary donation. However, she said that donations are needed and will go toward Be Match to help cover testing costs.
Jackson is in need of a corporate or individual sponsor to cover his donor tissue typing costs. Interested persons or companies may contact Allsopp to help at 256-541-1858 or by e-mail at dallsopp@nmdp.org.
Allsopp said the illness Jackson has attacks his blood marrow cells. A matched donor’s blood will help Jackson’s blood cells reproduce and function properly.
For those who would like to contribute monetarily, donations can be made to Jackson’s personal page on Be Match’s website at Bethematchfoundation.org/goto/fundrjdonors. Monies raised there will go to fully fund the donors for Jackson.
“The plan is to have chemo and another bone marrow transplant,” his parents said. “We know God will never leave us, and RJ will beat this thing once and for all.”
