A Challenge - Contributed by Karen Jacobsmeyer
Did you feel brave during last years Tour when you faced a car (or was it a truck?) head on? Or how about that little bit of courage (no, not liquid courage) when you decided to run the yellow light to catch up with the rest of your friends? Maybe it was strength you were feeling as you pedaled up the hill from Three Monkeys to Stella Blues? I’ll bet the best feeling of the day was as you pulled into Lemmons parking lot at the end of the road…ahhhh, triumph. And then you celebrated your small victory with a nice cold beer. That was a great moment, wasn’t it?
Let me tell you about two little boys who will make you look at bravery, courage and strength in a whole different light. And then let me challenge you to turn your 2009 Tour de Moose triumph into their small victory. Because you know what feels better than finishing a Tour de Moose? Finishing a Tour de Moose AND helping save lives at the same time.
Meet Andrew and Matthew Akin (cute, aren’t they?). Andrew was born in 2007 and diagnosed at 10 weeks old with a rare, life-threatening immune deficieny called HLH or Hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. The only cure is a bone marrow transplant. After undergoing a stem cell transplant and a bone marrow transplant in St. Louis, both which failed to engraft, Andrew’s parents took him to Cincinnati to be under the care of the world’s expert in his disease. Thanks to the gift of yet another anonymous marrow donor, Andrew received his third potentially life-saving transplant. These transplants gave Andrew 2 years and 3 months with his Mom, Dad, and Brother before he passed away on September 5th, 2009.
While being treated in Cincinnati, it was found that Andrew’s HLH was caused by a rare genetic mutation (XLP-2) that his brother Matthew also was found to have. The Akin Family then had to make the heart-wrenching decision to put Matthew through a bone marrow transplant to save his life. Matthew is currently waiting for his new bone marrow to engraft and fighting for his life.
You can read more about the Akin's journey at their personal blog - registration is required for privacy reasons.
At the start of the 2009 Tour de Moose, representatives from the Be the Match Registry (formerly known as the National Marrow Registry Drive) will be on hand to register potential donors swabs to the national registry. Please take a moment and review the instructions for registering before the race. A simple cheek swab will be taken from potential donors. In the future, should you potentially match a recipient, you will be contacted by the Registry for further testing.
Please, strongly consider joining the national registry. It is free of charge and you may one day save the life of a child, a son, a daughter. You may give someone back their mother, their father, their brother. Could there be a greater victory in your life than saving a life?
To thank you for your kindness, Moose has established a NEW 2009 Tour de Moose Award. Introducing…the Mooseheart. The winner will be the participant with the most charity chips at the end of the day. Chips can be won by donating money at any stop along the tour route to Moose’s Angels. All money raised will be donated back to the Marrow Registry.
Make 2009 a Great Moment.
In Memory of Andrew.In Honor of Matthew.
In Support of the Akins.
Matthew's on the left and Andrew's on the right! (Just in case you were wondering)
Posted by: Karen | 10/07/2009 at 10:28 AM