Dear Friends and Family, After a recent PET scan I have learned that the Hodgkins Lymphoma I have been treated for has come out of remission. Several people have been asking how I am doing and I have had a difficult time giving an answer because I really did not know where I stood in terms of being in remission or not. Now that I know my status, I will be putting as much energy as possible into doing what is needed of me to be cured. My best option right now is to complete a bone marrow transplant from a donor. I have waited the last month for a match and have not found one. I am in the national bone marrow registry and if I find a donor match I will be returning to the Stanford Cancer Center for another transplant. The process will take approximately four months. If I do not find a donor match I will look into clinical trials or alternative cures. Instead of waiting around and hoping for a donor match I have decided to be proactive and work with bethematch in order to start a donor drive. The bone marrow donor drive will be held August 29 at Deran Koligian Stadium from 5 PM to 9 PM. The date also happens to be Central Footballs first home game. Participants interested in being a donor will undergo a cheek swab and their HLA (blood antigen) type will be entered into a registry bank in order to find a pairing. Only 1 in 500 swab participants will ever be called upon to donate their marrow. The chances of me matching with a local donor are extremely rare. I am setting up the donor drive to help others in my situation, there are very few Hispanic and African American donors in the national registry so the odds of finding a match by a minority are even lower. Our team website centralgrizzliesfootball and bethematch has more information about the donor process (August 29th donor drive is free, website registration will ask for $100). I am currently taking a particular type of treatment that is different than chemotherapy. I have chosen to continue living my life with more of a purpose and as if I was completely healthy. My family and my relationships are still of the utmost importance, the only difference is that I want to use this obstacle as an opportunity to help others that may be in my situation. I have been blessed the last few years to coach at a level that gives me the opportunity to have exposure and a platform to send a message. I would be remiss if I did not use my situation to bring awareness to others who know little about bone marrow transplants. Please spread the word about the August 29th donor drive. I look forward to seeing you soon. Justin Check out a great donor story by using the link below. E:60: Matt Szczur -- Prospect, Donor, Life Saver: youtu.be/ih3zEkjAdrM GRIZZLY UP!! Justin J Garza Head Football Coach / Teacher Central High School 3535 N. Cornelia Fresno Ca. 93722 559 276-0280 ext. 107 @garza_bounces
Posted on: Thu, 26 Jun 2014 17:50:42 +0000
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