News

Family continues marrow drive

By Sam Lucero
Compass Staff

	Previous article: from February 15, 2008 issue: • Appleton native battles leukemia     Family seeks bone marrow donors as     son continues treatment in Milwaukee

GREEN BAY -- Since their son was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia last November, Virginia and Roman Salm, members of St. Edward Parish in Mackville, have been on a mission.

Their goal is to get as many people to join the National Marrow Donor Program Registry, allowing people like their son Peter, who are in need of a bone marrow transplant, to find a matching donor.

Peter Salm, 33, has been a patient at Froedtert Hospital in Milwaukee since being diagnosed with AML, a cancer of the white blood cells. (See "Appleton native battles leukemia," The Compass, Feb. 15, 2008.)

Leukemia treatment requires aggressive chemotherapy and/or radiation to kill the cancerous cells. But the therapy also destroys the bone marrow. Transplanted bone marrow or umbilical cord blood from newborn babies allow leukemia patients to grow healthy new immune systems.

"There has been no bone marrow match found as yet for our son Peter, even though the National Marrow Donor Program's ongoing recruitment adds more than 25,500 new donors to the registry each month," said Virginia Salm.

In observance of Mother's Day, the Salms are participating in the NMDP's "Thanks Mom" campaign, which is billed as a way to thank moms for the gift of life by sharing that gift with one in need of a marrow transplant. The Thanks Mom campaign is being held May 5-19.

In their initial effort to find marrow donors, the Salms donated $5,000 to pay the $52 registration and exam fee charged by the NMDP.

"We were able to add over 500 tissue samples into the national registry at this time," said Virginia. "A second drive started by a $5,000 match from Thrivent (Financial for Lutherans) is ongoing, and along with the Thanks Mom Bone Marrow Drive, we are hoping that at least 600 people take advantage of the free testing."

With no bone marrow match yet for their son, the Salms said another alternative will be pursued.

"He continues to be prepped both by Froedtert and by Loyola (University Health System) in Chicago for a cord blood transplant," said Virginia. "This umbilical cord blood is collected after a baby is born and the cells stored in the National Registry. The donated cells upon induction grow and turn into new red blood cells."

Salm said she is encouraged by Peter's outlook.

"Our son is a wonderful, positive young man who accepts each day as a faith challenge," she said. "As parents, we have actually been uplifted many times by his insight into his illness and his approach to the difficulties that lie ahead. I know that he prays with an attitude of expectancy, but yet releases the outcome to God."

To learn more about the Thanks Mom campaign, visit the NMDP Web site, www.marrow.org. To join the NMDP registry, contact Cheryl Shumaker at the Appleton Community Blood Center, (920) 738-3131.