Yoga by Degrees, Wheaton Family Seek Bone Marrow Match

For 27 years, Marie Brady proudly served her country in the Air Force. Trained as a Physician’s Assistant, she has helped many soldiers with medical care.

Brady married Wheaton native Joe Alpers in 2007, and in 2010, she was diagnosed with CMML, a rare and aggressive form of Leukemia. She has been told that without a bone marrow transplant, she may only live another two years.

Determined to find a match for Marie Brady, Alpers' family and Yoga by Degrees, 241 Rice Lake Square in Wheaton, will host a Bone Marrow Registry Drive 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 18 and Sunday, Feb. 19 at the Yoga by Degrees studio.

Be the Match, a national bone marrow donation program, facilitates the process of finding a donation. Sam Tan, account executive at Be the Match, said a simple cheek swab and a consent form are "all it takes" to be added to the registry.

"With some 10,000 people a year being diagnosed with Leukemia and other blood-related illnesses, and 70% not able to find a match among blood relatives, building the registry is critical," Tan said.

Chris Alpers describes Brady as "the salt of the earth." He said his sister-in-law is a knowledgeable medical professional who, "would do anything for anybody."

John Hardison, a friend of the Alpers family and employee at Yoga by Degrees, said, “It's a terrible feeling when you get a call from your best friend that his wife has been diagnosed with a rare form of Leukemia and her only chance for survival is a bone marrow match. It's also a wakeup call that we can all do something."
 
While it is free to join the Bone Marrow Registry, each swab must be typed, processed and stored in the Registry. According to Tan, it costs approximately $100 per swab, which is why the National Marrow Donation Program is also seeking donations for the program. Yoga by Degrees will make a donation of $5 per person to Be The Match for everyone who joins the bone marrow registry at the studio during the two-day drive.

If a match is made, according to the National Bone Marrow Donation Program, bone marrow donation is much easier today, because most physicians request Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) donations, for which the marrow extraction is a blood draw over several days. PBSC donors are typically back to their normal routine within a day or two.
 
Of the 8-million people on the registry currently, none is a perfect match for Marie Brady. “My husband Joe and I have always believed we have been blessed, with wonderful families and friends, opportunities and good fortune,” Brady said. “Our faith has not wavered. With the love and support we give to each other and get from our friends and supporters, we believe I will defeat this disease. I have spent my life helping others get well. It’s my hope that now, through the generosity of others, I will too.”
 
For information on Yoga By Degrees’ two-day Bone Marrow Registry Drive email YogaByDegreesMarrowDrive@gmail.com or call Yoga By Degrees at 630-960-YOGA.  Free registration   will be taken from 10 am-4 pm on both Saturday, February 18 and Sunday, February 19 at the studio at Rice Lake Square, Wheaton.