Leukemia Survivor Meets Her Bone Marrow Donor for the Very First Time
12 Nov 2003
On Wednesday, November 12, 2003, Elizabeth Howarth, 18, of Ohio, had her first opportunity to thank Sandra Fernandez, 37, of New York City for donating the “Gift of Life” that saved her life.
Although they had never met, Elizabeth Howarth has been kept alive by healthy stem cells that were donated by Sandra Fernandez.
Sandra joined the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry at a bone marrow drive organized by The Icla da Silva Foundation at her church in 1996. The drive was for a young Hispanic girl from New York who was suffering with leukemia. “I felt I could make a difference in someone's life,” she recalled.
Elizabeth Howarth was just like any other 16-year-old girl until 2001 when she was diagnosed with leukemia. To survive, Elizabeth would need a stem cells transplant to help her body make new, healthy marrow. Stem cells are immature cells that can develop into red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
For the transplant to take place, Elizabeth needed to find a matching donor. Because the characteristics that determine whether a donor and a patient match are inherited, the best chance of finding a matched donor is from a sibling.
However, 70 percent of patients do not find a suitable match within their own families. Although Elizabeth has a sister, she was not a match, so Elizabeth needed an unrelated donor for this life-saving transplant.
Elizabeth and her family turned to the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) for help. A search in the NMDP registry identified one compatible donor out of the more then 5 millions registered.
The donor was Sandra, a Hispanic woman from Manhattan, New York. Although Sandra was not a match to the Hispanic girl that she registered for, she was willing to help anyone in need.
Elizabeth received her transplant in January of 2002 in Ohio. She is now living a healthy life and is currently attending her first year of college.
Because of confidentiality issues, the donor and patient can not meet until one year after the transplant. So both Sandra and Elizabeth had to wait until this special day.
The special meeting took place at a special cocktail reception at the Consulate General of Venezuela where Board Members, staff, volunteers, patients and friends of The Icla da Silva Foundation shared this special moment.
Our efforts continues so more patients will have the opportunity to receive the “Gift of Life” that will save their lives.
Although they had never met, Elizabeth Howarth has been kept alive by healthy stem cells that were donated by Sandra Fernandez.
Sandra joined the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry at a bone marrow drive organized by The Icla da Silva Foundation at her church in 1996. The drive was for a young Hispanic girl from New York who was suffering with leukemia. “I felt I could make a difference in someone's life,” she recalled.
Elizabeth Howarth was just like any other 16-year-old girl until 2001 when she was diagnosed with leukemia. To survive, Elizabeth would need a stem cells transplant to help her body make new, healthy marrow. Stem cells are immature cells that can develop into red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets.
For the transplant to take place, Elizabeth needed to find a matching donor. Because the characteristics that determine whether a donor and a patient match are inherited, the best chance of finding a matched donor is from a sibling.
However, 70 percent of patients do not find a suitable match within their own families. Although Elizabeth has a sister, she was not a match, so Elizabeth needed an unrelated donor for this life-saving transplant.
Elizabeth and her family turned to the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) for help. A search in the NMDP registry identified one compatible donor out of the more then 5 millions registered.
The donor was Sandra, a Hispanic woman from Manhattan, New York. Although Sandra was not a match to the Hispanic girl that she registered for, she was willing to help anyone in need.
Elizabeth received her transplant in January of 2002 in Ohio. She is now living a healthy life and is currently attending her first year of college.
Because of confidentiality issues, the donor and patient can not meet until one year after the transplant. So both Sandra and Elizabeth had to wait until this special day.
The special meeting took place at a special cocktail reception at the Consulate General of Venezuela where Board Members, staff, volunteers, patients and friends of The Icla da Silva Foundation shared this special moment.
Our efforts continues so more patients will have the opportunity to receive the “Gift of Life” that will save their lives.
Last Updated: 07 Feb 2011