Moore family gift of $1 million to support transplant research

Longtime supporters Tom and Sally Moore recently made a $1 million dollar gift to the NMDP, to advance transplant research through the Amy Strelzer Manasevit Research Program. Their gift was inspired by their granddaughter Lauren’s transplant experience, and their desire to help other patients and families.

Today, Sally describes nine-year-old Lauren as “vivacious, fast, furious, full of fun, with a great sense of humor.” She’s come a long way since 2011 when she was first diagnosed with rare, T-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She was hospitalized for multiple rounds of chemotherapy when she was only two years old. Realizing Lauren’s only chance of a cure would be a blood stem cell transplant from a genetically matched donor, Lauren’s doctors began a search of the NMDP Registry.

Lauren’s mother Nicole was nine months pregnant at the time with Lauren’s baby brother Tommy. While a transplant of blood stem cells collected from the umbilical cord blood might have provided a cure for Lauren, they were not a close enough genetic match. That’s not unusual, as 70 percent of patients who need a transplant do not find a fully matched donor in their family.

Fortunately, a donor was found—a young woman named Kristen—who had joined the registry when she was in high school, and followed through on her promise a few years later to provide Lauren’s cure.

“The diagnosis was tragic,” said Sally, “and learning that a transplant was our ONLY chance was frightening. Finding a donor was the first good news we received. The family took turns at Lauren’s bedside throughout her treatment. I did a lot of the overnights. It was sad and lonely, but I couldn’t NOT do it.” Following the transplant, Lauren spent 100 days in isolation, never leaving her room. She had some minor graft-versus-host disease in her throat and on her skin, but overall, her recovery went well. When she was finally released, Lauren requested fireworks for her party. As luck would have it, she returned home on July 4th.

Inspired to give back, the Moore family expressed their gratitude for Lauren’s recovery with a major gift to support transplant research. “It’s rewarding,” said Sally. “Medically, there’s nothing you can do to help your loved one. No amount of money can buy wellness. But recruitment and donation IS something you can do to help other patients the way others have helped us. My family never had any money growing up, but we felt blessed, and were raised to value philanthropy. We always volunteered and felt a commitment to help others. Along with the ability to help, comes an obligation to do the right thing. In many ways, writing a check is easy. Doing the work is the important part.”

The Moore family gift is designated to support the Amy Program to advance transplant research. “It’s terrifying when a brilliant doctor looks you in the eye and says, ‘we just don’t know.’ We want to change that. Supporting research is vital to saving and improving lives.”

The Moores hope their gift will inspire others to contribute. “It’s not about matching the gift—though that would be great—it’s about inspiring a whole lot of smaller gifts, and what we can accomplish together, when everyone gives what they can.”

To learn more about how you can make a meaningful financial contribution to support patients in need please contact Amy Bigot at (763) 406-8725 | Toll Free: (800) 507-54271 or amy.bigot@nmdp.org.