UA News

The University Teaching Center worked with the Be The Match Registry to find a bone marrow transplant donor for Kristopher Weatherly. A near-perfect match has been found.

Kristopher Weatherly will not have met the 22-year-old woman who may save his life when she provides him with a bone marrow transplant next month, but he wants her to know that she is a "hero."

Weatherly, associate director of the University Teaching Center at The University of Arizona, was diagnosed earlier this year with myelodysplastic syndrome – a type of leukemia.

The condition is a blood cancer that can cause fatigue, anemia, a low platelet count and other complications. Those with the disease may also have a greater potential for heart failure and are at an increased risk of hemorrhage and infections.

A transplant is the only life-saving treatment for Weatherly's condition and when University Teaching Center staff members learned of his situation, they collaborated with the Be The Match Registry to hold a bone marrow donor drive on campus. Another drive will be held Monday to enlist more donors for the registry.

News of his condition was devastating, said Weatherly, who added that only months prior to being diagnosed his physician had told him he was in good shape.

What confounded his fear was that one of his sisters had died from a similar condition years prior. A perfect or near-perfect match could not be found for her, and she passed within one year of diagnosis, he said.

"Having walked in these shoes and watched it with my sister, there are no words to describe how important it is for people to step up and help," Weatherly, a UA alum, said Wednesday afternoon.

"But every little bit helps," he said. "I was really terrified that they wouldn't find a match for me, and the odds of actually finding a match from a local drive is slim."

Weatherly had already been in search for a match when his colleagues and friends rallied around him. During the drive held at the UA in April, nearly 600 people signed up, breaking the registry's record for a two-day drive in the U.S.

The news came last week that a woman who signed up for the nationwide registry is nearly a 100 percent match for Weatherly, said Terri Riffe, who directs the University Teaching Center.

Because of confidentially, information about the woman and her place of residence were not released, said Aubrie Vargas, the registry's regional director in Phoenix.

It is not known whether the woman signed up during the UA drive. Still, it's good news, Vargas said.

"It's possible that it is a new person was recently added to the registry because he had been searching for a while. This is very good for him," Vargas said.

"Obviously, we were trying to get as close to a perfect match as possible, but the transplant can still be successful with it being just under a perfect match," she added, noting that the woman is about a 98 percent match.

"So, just like this person came out to help Kris, we really want to get the message across and encourage other people to come out and help," Vargas said.

Another drive is being held Monday and will be co-hosted by Building More Tomorrows and the registry. The drive will be held at Faith Community Church, 2551 W. Orange Grove Road, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Building More Tomorrows is a program at University Medical Center that supports cancer patients and their families.

Monday's drive is open to everyone and those intending to sign up for the registry will have to fill out information and provide a swab of the inside of their mouths. Though there is no charge to become a donor, organizers are asking for $25 to cover the cost of the swab. Also, food will be sold during the event, which will include entertainment and prizes for children.

Those who were not able to make the drive can sign up online at Be The Match through the end of the month. A swab kit will be sent to you.

The national registry helps people find marrow and blood cell transplants, while banking a list of potential volunteer marrow donors. The national registry is checked about 6,000 times daily by people in search of a match More than 10,000 people are estimated to need marrow or blood cell transplants annually, the registry reports.

"I am so blessed. The UA is kind of my family," Weatherly said, adding that people have also begun donating vacation hours to him since he has exhausted his sick days and vacation time.

"I'm just overwhelmed by the outpouring of love and support," he said.

"Even if there is never a match found, the fact that more names are getting into the database could change somebody's life," Weatherly added. "This helps me feel like what I'm going through may not totally be in vain."