The healing of Emru

About four months ago, I left California after spending time with my Mom, who was undergoing a bone marrow transplant. The day I left, my Mom - who had received the transplant some 30 days earlier - Dad and I made a stop at City of Hope Hospital for one of my Mom's then-twice-weekly check ups. The trip to the airport and the doctor's visit were both long drives but on the same path, so combining the two trips was quite beneficial.

While waiting with my Mom and Dad for her appointment, I excused myself to the restroom. Upon leaving the rest room, I ran into my Mom's doctor, who told me that my Mom's latest tests had come in - the bone marrow from the donor had grafted perfectly. And my Mom was cancer free. One of the last things I told my Mom before leaving back to Brazil was that her bone marrow transplant had been a stunning success. It was a beautiful moment that I will never forget.

Now, nearly 120 days later, my Mom is living an active life with very minimal side effects from the transplant (minor fatigue, occasional rashes). She and my Father have their life back. It has been nothing short of a miraculous journey. My Mom is an amazing woman.

When something like this happens, you just want to thank everyone who has helped along the way. Literally thousands of people played a role in my Mom's recovery and I have such gratitude for all of them. But right now, I want to give my deepest, warmest words of gratitude to one man.

Thank you, Emru Townsend. Thank you so much.


When I first discovered of my Mom's diagnosis of leukemia, Emru was one of the first people to contact me. He had been diagnosed with Leukemia (among other things), as well and had received his diagnosis on almost the same day as my Mom.

Later, Emru told me about the day he received his diagnosis. After his doctor had give him a litany of bad news, he finished with one more - he needed a bone marrow transplant, and as a Black man, his odds of finding a donor were not that great.

But Emru said that after the shock quickly wore off, he found himself more motivated than afraid. He immediately began to work on getting more people from an African ancestry to become bone marrow donors as he could. And since the day of his diagnosis, he has been an amazing and powerful activist. A Canadian, he has appeared on the most visible national news shows in the nation in an effort to get more people from an African ancestry to understand that they are so desperately needed by those in need of a bone marrow transplant.

Because the truth is this: When it comes to bone marrow transplants, ancestry matters. And in the U.S, for Caucasians in need of a bone marrow transplant, 88 percent find a suitable donor. For African-Americans, that number tumbles to 60 percent. The disparity is roughly the same if not worse in Canada.

So Emru and his sister became activists. And they were active activists. Aside from being featured on Canada's largest news program, he was on other news channels both regional and national. He was interviewed by prominent newspapers and radio shows. With the help of his sister and others, Emru passionately and tirelessly got the word out. All the while he was suffering from an insidious disease and dealing with the very real possibility that a matching donor could never come his way.

But it did. And Sept. 15 is Day Zero for Emru and his family. It is the day of his bone marrow transplant. It is the day he stops fighting just to survive and begins the fight for his recovery.

Emru's battle for his life has been epic. He has undergone extensive and life-threatening rounds of chemotherapy several times to try and get his leukemia into remission. And none of them worked. He has had 48 blood transfusions at last count. He has had pneumonia. He has had repeated infections. He has dealt with pain that I cannot even begin to understand.

And through it all, he never stopped being an activist for those in need of bone marrow transplants. He has kept his friends, family and followers updated of his travails at his site - HealEmru.com. He has been straightforward and brave through it all. And he is now undergoing the chemotherapy that proceeds his bone marrow transplant. In his epic journey for his own life, he is about to take the most important step.

Flashback to early 2008. I was in California with my parents, my Mom still didn't have a donor and I was trying to help my parents deal with the copious amounts of leukemia and bone marrow transplant information that had just been dumped on them. Emru and I had exchanged several e-mails and had finally connected for a phone call. It was the best and most important phone call of my life.

Emru and I spoke for about an hour and I was immediately struck by his optimism and strength. I told him all about my Mom's leukemia and he told me all about his. We discussed details of leukemia and of how to recover. We discussed thoughts on how to get more people on the bone marrow donor registry. We discussed philosophies and intangibles. When we finally said our good byes, I jokingly told him "Well, I feel a lot better. And that's what really matters, isn't it?"

But I did feel better. His confidence and enthusiasm had fundamentally changed my outlook. Emru helped me get more people on the registry. Emru helped my Mom have more confidence and courage after I detailed our discussion to her. His bravery helped my entire family. His courage helped my Mom get to where she is today.

Emru, I love you. You are great human being and knowing you, even in a limited way has changed me. And you have changed the lives of so many.

Dear reader, I ask you send your love, thoughts and prayers to Emru. He has another battle in front of him, and I'm confident he'll come through it. But it will not be easy.

And finally, because I can safely say that this would make Emru happy, could you please do this - Could you find at least one person in your life that isn't on the bone marrow registry and convince them to join? Please?

Every bone marrow registry needs more names on it. Simply put, it is a numbers game, and registries just don't have enough numbers. Every person who needs a bone marrow transplant to live needs more people willing to give the gift of life. It is a simple procedure to get on the registry and I have placed links for more information below.

Please. Help me show Emru the respect and love he has shown my family, and the respect and love he has shown families around the world by being an amazing activist and human being.

Thank you so much,

Bill

Join the Bone Marrow Registry - Marrow.org

Join the Bone Marrow Registry - Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association

If anyone has any other questions about registering to be a bone marrow donor please don't hesitate to e-mail me at wkwolfrum(at)gmail(dot)com. There are often fees one must pay in the U.S. to get on the registry, and if this is an issue, I have some ways to help with that, as well.