NMDP/Be The Match Press Release - Erika Turner was a busy mom of two teenage boys and working full-time at a local hospital, so when she started feeling tired and noticed a bit of bruising on her body, she wasn’t immediately suspicious. But a resident at the hospital pointed out that it looked like her platelets were low, and encouraged Erika to have it checked out. After numerous tests that week, Erika was diagnosed with acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) with Philadelphia positive chromosome in September 2010.
Doctors knew immediately that Erika would need a bone marrow transplant to survive. Like most patients who need transplants, no one in Erika’s family was a donor match. Fortunately, Erika’s doctors identified a matching donor on the national Be The Match Registry®, and she received her transplant in December 2010.
Erika’s donor, Christopher Magoon, was attending Yale University when he joined the Be The Match Registry at a donor registry drive on behalf of Mandi Schwartz, a fellow Yale student. While Christopher was not a match for Mandi, he was able to make a life-saving donation to Erika.
Now, two years after receiving a life-saving transplant, Erika will finally be able to thank Christopher in person. The two will be introduced for the first time live on ABC’s Good Morning America on Wednesday, Aug. 22.
Erika and Christopher are sharing their story in hopes that more people will get involved and help save lives. In addition to joining the registry, people can make direct financial contributions, volunteer or spread the word. Visit Get Involved for more information.
Go to Good Morning America online for more information and to view the video.