Brockton, MA, August 28: Donor drive for bone marrow

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From: "HR-Net News Distribution Manager" <dist@hri.org>

Originally From: "NWS::DOWNES"@globe.com

Here is the story about the young man who is looking for a person of Greek descent to donate bone marrow. The drive is being held Wednesday, August 28 from 3 to 7 p.m. at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church on 457 Oak Street, Brockton.

By Moira Downes

BROCKTON -- When he was first diagnosed with leukemia, Christian Gordon was 19 years old. An avid bodybuilder, he ignored some of the first warning signs of the disease, attributing unexplained bruises and fatigue to an excess of vitamin B or a overly-strenous workout. By the time he saw a doctor, he required immediate hospitalization and began intensive chemotherapy and radiation treatment.

After finishing almost two years of treatment, Gordon stayed healthy for about eight months, but relapsed last August. Doctors now say his best hope for survival is a bone marrow transplant.

Finding a match for any patient can be tricky, but Gordon's case is complicated by his ancestry. Gordon's mother, Melanie, is of English decent, but his father is a native of Greece. Gordon's mother and brother were both tested but were found to be unsuitable matches, so the the most likely donor would be a member of his father's side of the family.

However, Gordon has been estranged from his father since childhood and has been unable to find out any of his paternal relatives would be an acceptable match.cq For that reason, Gordon is appealing to the local Greek-American community to join the national database of potential marrow donors.

"If I get a transplant and it is successful, I'm hoping for a complete cure," said Gordon. "At this point, it's the only option I have left."

Gordon's friends and family have organized a donor drive on Wednesday, August 28 from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the Annunciation Greek Orthodox Church in Brockton. Elaine Liatsos, who works for the Visiting Nurse Association in Brockton, has helped to organize the donor drive.

"We're definately looking for people of Greek heritage to come and be tested, but we're stressing that everyone is welcome. Even if we don't find a match for Chris, we may find a match for someone else in need."

Those willing to be tested to see if they are a suitable marrow match must be between the ages of 18 and 60 and in good health. Volunteers draw a few tablespoons of blood, which is sent to a lab for testing. The whole process usually takes less than 15 minutes.

Vicky Connors, recruitment manager for the New England Marrow Donor Program, said the odds of finding a match outside of the patient's immediate family range from one in 100 to one in a million.

"Our goal is to educate and register as many people as we can, so everyone will have a match in the registry," Connors said. "People of different ethnic groups have different antigens in their blood. Because of that, we are making an effort to get as many racial and ethnic groups represented in our donor banks."

Before his initial diagnosis, Gordon worked as a residential counselor for retarded adults with the Brockton Area Multi-Service Center. A graduate of Southeasterncq Vocational Technical School, Gordon was a physical fitness enthusiast who took up bodybuilding as a teenager. At one point, the effects of his disease caused him to lose more than 70 pounds and left him too weak to stand. These days, he has been able to complete light workouts and says he has been "pretty healthy."

It has been more than four years since he was first treated for leukemia and more than a year since he was told he needed a bone marrow transplant. Doctors have told him "the sooner the better" for the transplant, he said, because every week that passes leaves him vulnerable to infections or other medical complications.

The past year he said has been filled with the unpleasant routines of chemotherapy and medical appointments, but also spent helping to care for his two-year-old daughter, Brianna, who lives with her mother in Brockton.

"I look at her and I realize how much I want to be part of watching her grow up," said Gordon. "Sometimes I get aggravated thinking about my father and how he wasn't around for me when I was small and he's not around for me now, because I look at my daughter and think there's nothing I wouldn't do for her."

Melanie Gordon said her son's illness has been difficult, but she is thankful for the help she's recieved from friends she "never knew she had." Some of the Gordons' friends organized a fundraiser and collected $5,000 to help pay for the costs of the marrow-testing drive.

There is no guarantee that a match will be found for Gordon next week, but his mother said they have to keep trying.

"We're just hopeful, we do what we can," said Melanie Gordon. "You have to put your faith in God and hope for the best."

Contributions to help pay for the drive can be made to:

The Christian Gordon Fund
Brockton Credit Union
1601 Main Street
PO Box 720
Brockton, MA 02402

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