In remembrance of Carolyn Tam
I came home late Saturday night after a wedding in Makena. As I unwound and checked my Facebook messages, my heart sank when I found out that one of my high school friends, Carolyn, had lost her battle to Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) last Thursday, April 23rd in Vancouver, BC, Canada.
She was diagnosed with the disease back in November 2006. After her first chemotherapy treatment, she was in remission for only a year. The Leukemia relapsed in April 2008 and she’d been looking for a match for a stem cell transplant since then.
Carolyn was a year behind me back in high school, and although we weren’t very close, we met through the school’s swim team. I remembered her as a very strong, independent person and I am sure she was a real fighter till the end. I am saddened that she couldn’t find a match to save her life, but I hope everyone out there would become a marrow/stem cell donor to help save other lives.
The National Bone Marrow Donor Program is desperately in need of minority donors. So if you are Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latino, African American, Mixed Race… and you are between 18 and 60 years old and in pretty good health, you might be eligible to become a donor. You can find out more information HERE.
I registered not too long ago, but I wished I have done it sooner. However, my name will remain in the registry until I am 61 years old. Maybe someday I will be able to help someone in need. Another friend of mine, Stacie Tamaki, told me that her cousin Tami was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS) about 2 months ago. Because her condition has progressed rapidly, her doctors want to perform a Stem Cell Transplant as soon as possible. For 1 of 3 patients, one of the most worrisome aspects of MDS is that within months or years of diagnosis MDS progresses to become AML.
Please check out Tami’s website and blog to see how you might be able to help her and others. And if you live in Northern California, Hawaii, Massachusetts and Washington State, please check the upcoming bone marrow and blood cell donor drive that’s near you. All of that information is on Tami’s website.
Carolyn, may you rest in peace. Thank you for sharing your story and for making people aware… you were truly an inspiration!
Tags: National Bone Marrow Donor Program
April 27th, 2009 at 5:06 am
I am so sorry to hear about your friend Carolyn. By getting the word out about the National Bone Marrow Donor Program, I have no doubt you will save others. Through Stacie’s campaign to save her cousin Tami I learned that 70% of donors are NOT family members and that 70% of the time they can harvest marrow from your blood- just like giving blood. It’s easier than most people think. And insanely rewarding if you are a match.
April 27th, 2009 at 7:22 am
Evonne,
I’m so sorry for your lost. I will look into becoming a donor. Take care!
April 27th, 2009 at 7:17 pm
Jewel and Kilee - thank you so much for your kind words. I hope more people will register with the marrow donor program. It really is a simple procedure and how rewarding it is to be able to save someone’s life!
April 27th, 2009 at 10:09 pm
Dear Evonne,
Thank you for putting this page up for my sister.
I’ve learned quite a bit about bone marrow donation in the past few years and have met with several groups of people behind patients in the same plight. Do feel free to contact me or give me a call if you would like to know more. I’m more than happy to share.
Carolyn’s wish is to see the momentum of bone marrow registration we’ve built up to continue. I’m sure she’ll be looking out for Stacie as she and her group embark on their journey for Tami.
Stay positive. Everything in life happens for very good reason. Its all good.
PT
May 2nd, 2009 at 12:56 am
Evonne I am so sorry for your loss. Even though I never met Carolyn, after reading her blog and site I felt like I knew her. She fought such a long battle with Leukemia :( I’m glad her friends and family are prepared to carry on the donor drives as her legacy. I am certain that they will save many lives in the years to come. It’s such a sad thing that Carolyn herself was not saved. If only her marrow match could have been found.
May 18th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Hi Evonne, It might’ve been my message you received on Facebook, or at least one of them.
Carolyn became a very special friend, after I got involved in her campaign last year and although I know she is at peace now, accepting her being gone has been very difficult. I hope you had a chance to see or talk to her in the last couple of years.
Carolyn not winning her battle, never crossed my mind.
Thank you for your tribute to Carolyn and message to others about the urgency for people to register. That was Carolyn’s wish, for us to continue helping others and we won’t let her down. It seems so simple, if everyone registered to be a donor, Carolyn and so many others might still be with us, along with saving those who are fighting for their lives. Yet as you mentioned, representation is very low, which is why its important to educate and make people aware of bone marrow transplants and why such a need exists.
I said in a note I sent out to friends / colleagues, that we who have the gift of life should be doing everything we can to help those who have to fight to keep theirs.
I met Stacie, after Carolyn passed, who mentioned you and how her cousin Tami is now fighting for her life. We’ll do everything we can to save her.