Searching For A Miracle

This photo and the article below were taken from our local online "newspaper", San Juan Islander. My friend's son and his family are the subjects of this wonderful family photo. They are also, sadly, the subjects of the article.

If any of you have considered joining the bone marrow registry , but have not done so because you think that it is either not necessary, or that it is painful - please read this. The process is a simple cheek swab & being on the registry might save a life. I joined the registry in 2000 during a similar drive in our town. Please folks, don't be afraid to find out how you can be tested - the reward might just make you "the most important person in the world" to someone like Matt Johnson. All prayers for the families & supoort of the miracles that DO happen in life are appreciated.

"...Puget Sound Blood Center staff suggested 60 forms would be adequate for a bone marrow drive in a small community. Margaret Johnson said, "You don't know Friday Harbor." She ended up asking for 400 forms figuring she could always return the unused ones. There were few left at the end of the two-day drive as more than 300 people signed up, hoping to be a match for her son, Matt Johnson.

The 1992 graduate of Friday Harbor High School has been diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome. This very rare blood disease is a precursor to Acute Myelodysplastic Leukemia. His only hope for cure is a stem cell transplant.

Matt and his wife Jackie,(formerly Jackie King), also a FHHS graduate, and their four children, Dustin 7, Tesa 4, and twin girls Taylor and Jordan 15 months, live in Lake Stevens, where Matt supports his family as an electrical contractor.

Matt’s MDS is an aggressive form and it’s critical that he find a match immediately. A bone marrow drive in Matt’s honor, took place March 18 and 19, 2008. This expedited placement of potential donors, aged 18 to 61, to the National Bone Marrow Registry.

For those who live off island and would like to know where to donate, please go to www.psbc.org for more information. ..."