In short, her kids were born with a rare genetic condition that causes
them to need a bone marrow transplant to live. Her daughter, Kate, had a
successful transplant and is a healthy, thriving, beautiful 2 year old because of it!
And now, her son Will is in need of a transplant as well, but they are facing some challenges in getting there.
I "met" Lindsey through Twitter a little over a year ago now. I have enjoyed getting to know her and following her story as she shares their lives on her blog. I was honored when she asked me to design precious Will's birth announcement, and I can't believe that's been over a year ago now. The year has flown by, and Will has been doing fairly well, all things considered. They had found a match for Will, and were making preparations for the transplant to happen soon.
But then a couple of weeks ago, their world was rocked when they found out the donor that was Will's match had changed his mind about donating. Meaning, Will does not have a donor now and they are back to the drawing board as to what to do next.
This week Will had an appointment to determine where to go from here, and you can read Lindsey's post all about that on her blog. My heart just breaks as I read her words. I cannot imagine what she's going through, and all of the questions, fears, and outcomes going through her head. She is doing everything in her power to fight for Will's life, and is spreading the word about joining the registry in a huge way. And not just because of Will - but because she knows and has experienced first hand the result of a life-saving donor in her daughter Kate, and wants others to have that same chance too.
Because of her, I signed up for the registry a few weeks ago. My kit came really fast, and it was simple as can be to take a few swabs from my cheeks and mail it back in the pre-paid envelope they included. As I was sitting there swabbing my cheeks, I couldn't help but think - what if this was my child in need? You better believe I'd be doing the same thing as Lindsey and making people aware of this need. Why haven't I registered for this before now? To be honest, I just never really knew or understood the importance of it. Which is the main reason I'm writing this today. If even one person decides to join the registry because of learning about this, you never know whose life it could save in the future.
So, now I'm going to ask you to PLEASE consider joining the registry to be a bone marrow donor. But on that same note, please don't do so if you don't think you'd be able to donate should you get called as a match. When you go to the website to register, they explain all of that and also tell you more about what the process involves. To register, they send you a kit to complete at home with just a quick cheek swab. It really is simple. For more information or to join the registry, visit the Be The Match site here.
And in the meantime, please keep Lindsey, Will, Alex, and Kate in your prayers. You are SO strong Lindsey and all of us are here for you, praying for you, and supporting you any way we can! We are all part of #teamwill together!
