One patient's marrow transplant journey inspired a major planned gift

Six years ago, Susan started experiencing lightning-bolt headaches, fevers, fatigue and inflamed gums. After a trip to urgent care, she was diagnosed with leukemia—the "ugly kind"—and would require a bone marrow transplant.

Susan says she feels very lucky. "The early diagnosis, being at the right hospital at the right time, the wonderful doctor who saved my life," she explains. "It was a gut punch to get the diagnosis. But after that, everything worked the way it needed to."

During her hospital stay, Susan met another patient who had also received a marrow transplant. The relationship was helpful beyond words in her recovery. "Being connected with another patient who was also going through the transplant process was huge," she explains. "He was there to just listen and be there—he became a great friend."

Susan recently learned about the NMDP Peer Connect program that pairs marrow transplant recipients with patients to provide support during their journey, and she plans to get involved.

But volunteering for Peer Connect is not the only way she's giving back: Susan and her husband, Lawrence, decided to include NMDP in their estate plan. Susan and Lawrence appreciate the full scope—research, donor recruitment, patient and family assistance—that the organization provides. They know how critical each and every part is to healing and recovery, and they are proud to have their legacy live on through NMDP.

"To have a world without any blood cancer might not be realistic," Susan says. "NMDP is the best way to help people get through this and find their cure."

To make a planned gift to NMDP, contact Amy Bigot at amy.bigot@nmdp.org or (763) 406-8725 | Toll Free: (800) 507-54271.