BONE MARROW DONOR
In November 2003, I had the great honor and privilege of saving the life of then-stranger, Peggy Waara, through a bone marrow transplant. Almost 15 years later, Peggy is still alive and though she has had some setbacks (including the return of a different type of cancer that took about 85% of her tongue) and a hip fracture, she is alive and kicking - and strong! That experience forever changed me, and since then I have been dedicated to raising awareness about the life-saving potential of bone marrow donations.
Regrettably, Peggy passed away peacefully at home on May 9, 2019. She had received another 15 and a half years of life beside the love of her life, Mike.
Please watch a short video below to learn more about my experience:
I now proudly serve as Secretary of the Board of Trustees of the Icla da Silva Foundation based in New York City. The Foundation focuses on recruiting minority donors to the registry and is the largest single recruiter for BeTheMatch in the country. Please consider making a tax-deductible donation. You too can save a life!
With Airam da Silva, President of the Icla da Silva at the 2014 Hope Gala in New York City.