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The Bruce Denniston Bone Marrow Society has been in the business of helping save lives since 1988. We educate the public about the need for bone marrow donors, raise funds to support the work of the Canadian Unrelated Bone Marrow Donor Registry (UBMDR, a program of Canadian Blood Services that registers potential bone marrow donors and matches them to patients needing transplants), and assist bone marrow patients and their families.. Spencer Kotowick is one such patient. A 14 year old who has been battling an auto-immune disease and Neutrophenia for almost half his life, Spencer is a remarkable young man. He served as poster boy for the 2006 Kamloops Mountie Stomp, an event to raise money for the Bruce Denniston Bone Marrow Society, where it was announced a bone marrow donor had been found on the UBMDR to provide a transplant. Doctors believed this to be his best chance of survival, and the transplant was done a few months later, followed by several months of recovery while Spencer waited for his blood to start producing platelets. During his stay at Ronald McDonald House in Vancouver, Spencer personally sold 172 copies of the Bruce Denniston Bone Marrow Society 2007 Fundraising Calendar, and his subsequent appearance on Global Television Morning News with Steve Darling resulted in many additional sales. Spencer currently serves on the BC Branch Board of Directors in an advisory capacity. During Spencer's convalescence his parents took turns leaving their respective employment and traveling to Vancouver to stay with Spencer. The Bruce Denniston Bone Marrow Society was pleased to provide some financial assistance to the family during this difficult time. Spencer's mother expressed their gratitude, writing "Although no words can express our heartfelt appreciation of your incredible generosity, we will try! Spencer surprised us on Christmas day with the cheque that you sent him to give to us. We were stunned, to say the least. ... Spencer has clearly enjoyed working with the Society and everyone there has shown great kindness. We plan to continue to be involved with the Society and would love for you to keep in touch and allow us to help in any way we can."
Spencer's family joins him in a Surprise Flight for Life, compliments of Kamloops RCMP Identifying a compatible bone marrow donor for a patient is a complicated process involving specialized equipment and expertise. It is also a process which needs to be carried out as quickly as possible to ensure the patient's best chance of recovery. The Bruce Denniston Bone Marrow Society helps fund bone marrow typing at the DNA level, the most efficient and effective method available. This helps save more lives by identifying donors quickly, and enabling transplants to be performed with minimal delay. The Bruce Denniston Bone Marrow Society is dedicated to raising money to help fund present and future needs of the UBMDR so that they may meet the needs of all Canadian patients.
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very
day, people young and old are diagnosed with leukemia and other bone
marrow diseases. Parents are unable to work or care for their families.
Children are taken from the world of toys and playmates to the world of
hospitals and chemotherapy. Hundreds of Canadians are faced with the fact
that a bone marrow transplant is their only hope for survival.
