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Community prays for miracle at marrow donor drive

Date: 1/14/2009

By Katelyn Gendron

Reminder Assistant Editor



SOUTHWICK Four years ago, Alex Snow of Tolland was about to begin his sophomore year at Southwick-Tolland Regional High School, only to discover that his health would prevent him from living the life of a typical teenager.

Snow was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a rare condition only one out of every million people in the United States has the disease in which bone marrow does not produce sufficient new blood cells, leaving one prone to infection and uncontrolled bleeding. His only cure is a bone marrow transplant.

On Jan. 17, from noon to 3 p.m., the Southwick Community Episcopal Church, 660 College Highway, will host a bone marrow drive in the hopes of finding a match for Snow.

"It means the world to me [that this drive has been organized]. You can't even put it into words," Pamela Karadimas, Snow's mother, said in an interview with Reminder Publications. "The hope is that somebody will be matched at this drive. If it's not my son, then somebody else."

Registered Nurse and member of the Southwick Community Episcopal Church Kate Johnson agreed. "The bottom line is that we potentially could save another life with a bone marrow transplant and the beauty of being in the [National Marrow Donor Program] registry is that we may not be able to match him but we may be able to help somebody else."

She explained that medical professionals will be on site to complete the donations on behalf of the National Marrow Donor Program. The test includes a small blood sample or a swab of cheek cells.

Barbara Campanella, member of the Southwick Community Episcopal Church's Leadership Team, explained that the cost of the donor test is usually $52; however, donors who attend the bone marrow drive will only have to pay $5, due to contributions from parishioners. She noted that those who are unable to afford the $5 fee because of financial hardship will have the amount waived as the goal of the drive is to get as many people to register as possible.

Karadimas explained that regardless of the outcome of the bone marrow drive her family takes life day by day. She said Snow's illness is currently being managed with medications, which have allowed him to graduate from high school via home-school education and enroll as a commuter student at the University of Connecticut.

"He has weeks when he feels wonderful and other days when he's in the hospital for weeks on end," Karadimas explained. "You take it minute by minute because you don't know what the morning, afternoon or night is going to hold [so we] live life to the fullest."

For more information about the bone marrow drive contact Johnson at 427-6223.

Further details about the National Marrow Donor Program can be obtained by logging onto www.marrow.org.