943. That’s the number of days since former patient Jenna Lawson had her successful bone marrow transplant at Penn. But, to her it represents so much more: “943 more sunrises, 943 more sunsets,” she said at HUP’s Be the Match Walk. More important to her, “I’ve seen my daughter’s 5th, 6th, and 7th birthdays…. Her preschool graduation, her first days of kindergarten and first grade.”
Held on Rhoads 7, a unit for bone marrow transplant patients, the annual walk around the unit — for patients, families and friends — helps raise awareness of the need for donors as well as its importance for those waiting for a transplant. David Porter, MD, director of Cell Therapy and Transplantation, described the event as a “celebration,” for both the staff and patients on Rhoads 7 who are involved in “the miracle of bone marrow transplant.”
“My transplant patients and their donors inspire me every single day,” said Alison Loren, MD, MS, director of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and Lawson’s transplant doctor. “Nurses on this floor inspire me. I’m incredibly proud of the unit and program.”
“Every day is a gift,” Lawson told the Match participants. “I owe my donor for every single day and every single thing that has happened. I thank staff and doctors so much.”