A sixth-grade class has proven that kids can make a difference - potentially, the difference between life and death.
Kathleen Rider's sixth-graders at Douglas T. Orchard Elementary, 6744 W. 3800 South, West Valley City, decided at the beginning of the 1996-97 school year that they would undertake a project that would make a real difference to people. Their choice: to encourage registration of potential bone marrow donors for the National Marrow Donor Program.Bone marrow donations are used for patients suffering from life-threatening diseases such as leukemia, aplastic anemia and inherited immune system disorders. The tissue must be carefully matched. "Many patients die before finding a matched donor," said Mark Austin of the Intermountain Marrow Donor Program at LDS Hospital.
Working with the Intermountain Marrow Donor Program, class members educated themselves about marrow donation. Then they taught their parents and neighbors about the need for more donors.
Bone marrow is especially needed for people of black, Asian, Hispanic and American Indian heritage. Discovering that fact, the students worked hard to reach ethnic minorities. LDS Hospital spokesman Jess Gomez said the children also learned that tests to determine a person's marrow type are expensive, so they raised $1,463 to pay for testing.
"In November 1996, a testing drive for volunteer marrow donors was held in the Orchard Elementary School cafeteria," Gomez said. The kids recruited 51 new donors, 10 from minority backgrounds, and had them tested for marrow type.
"This far exceeded the initial goal of recruiting 10 new donors and is the most successful effort we have seen from an elementary school class," he said.
The recruiting success wasn't enough for the sixth-graders. The students and teacher contacted their state senator, Millie Peterson, D-West Valley City, who introduced a resolution in the Legislature designating May 16 as "Utah Marrow Donor Registration Day."
The students then made posters and developed a presentation about bone marrow, with which they lobbied the Legislature.
The bill passed, and the governor signed the resolution.
To honor the kids for their efforts, LDS Hospital held a reception for them Tuesday. Gov. Mike Leavitt, Peterson, physicians from the bone marrow transplant unit at LDS Hospital and University Hospital were present. Leavitt presented the class with an award from the National Marrow Donor Program.
After a reception, the students and Rider toured LDS Hospital, visiting the Life Flight helicopter pad and the emergency room.
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ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Testing for potential donors
Potential bone marrow donors will be tested Friday at the University of Utah and Saturday at LDS Hospital.
The U.'s Olpin Student Union Building, Room 323, will host the registration drive from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Friday. The hospital's Huntsman Education Center, Classroom A, will be the site Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The National Marrow Donor Program is anxious to sign up all the volunteers it can, but it especially needs volunteers of black, Asian, Pacific Islander, Hispanic, American Indian and mixed ethnic backgrounds. Because tissue types are inherited, some types are unique to certain racial or ethnic groups. Many patients need a donor from within their own ethnic or racial group.
Volunteers to donate marrow must be between 18 and 60 years old, in good general health and without a history of certain diseases.
Anyone who has questions about the program or who would like to be tested but can't attend one of the scheduled sessions is invited to call program officials at 321-1157.