Neil uses his second chance as an opportunity to give back

After a difficult start to his journey—and finding his donor match in just the nick of time—Neil pays it forward by including NMDP in his legacy planning and supporting other patients the way he was.

Neil spent his whole career in the fitness industry. He was a trail ultramarathon runner and a hiker.

But at his annual checkup, his blood tests came back abnormal. A bone marrow biopsy revealed chronic myelomonocytic leukemia (CMML), a rare blood cancer.

Neil was referred to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and his blood count held steady for a while. Yet a year later, the leukemia had progressed. He would need a bone marrow transplant—but first, a suitable donor match would have to be found.

While the search for a donor match continued, so did the progression of Neil’s CMML—the transplant couldn’t wait. Neil’s son, Aaron, donated his marrow as a “haplo” (half-matched) donor. And soon after, Neil was back on his feet—not just walking but biking and hiking.

Unfortunately, the transplant started to fail, so Neil started chemotherapy to try to slow the cancer’s progression. Within months, Neil’s weight had dropped significantly, and his prognosis was worsening. That’s when a well-matched donor was finally found.

After his transplant, Neil began to recover and rebuild his strength.

Today Neil’s grateful to wake up every day—to walk, lift weights, and be with his family.

He credits his family, the team at Dana-Farber and NMDP with saving his life.

“If one of those three pillars weren’t there, I may not be alive today,” he said. To pay it forward, he’s generously including NMDP in his legacy plans.

To learn more about including NMDP in your estate plans, please contact Amy Bigot at (763) 406-8725 | Toll Free: (800) 507-54271 or amy.bigot@nmdp.org.