Airman turns pain into positive: saving lives one swab at a time

Published March 31, 2009
By 1st Lt. Lauren Johnson
1st SOW Public Affairs

HURLBURT FIELD, Fla. -- Eleven-year-old Sergio Rodriguez will forever be smiling in front of the Christmas tree.

He smiles from inside his frame on his family's living room wall. And he never leaves his parents' wallets.

But pictures aren't the only way Master Sgt. David Rodriguez and Diane Rodriguez remember their son, who died in 2002 after a three-year battle with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia.

Since Sergio's death, the Rodriguez' have been strong advocates for the C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program, which sponsors bone marrow donor registration drives in cooperation with military installations in an attempt to bolster the national marrow registry and provide better treatment options for families dealing with chronic illnesses, like Sergio's Leukemia.

April 8, Sergeant Rodriguez, 25th Intelligence Squadron, is bringing the cause to Hurlburt Field. The marrow drive will have registration centers at the Medical Clinic, Shoppette, Mini Mall, and between the commissary and Base Exchange. Eglin Air Force Base will also host a drive April 9 at the Base Exchange.

"We do this because we know there are other people going through [what we've been through]," said Sergeant Rodriguez.

When Sergio was diagnosed with Leukemia in 1999, he underwent an exhausting series of chemotherapy treatments until his disease went into remission in 2001.

But just a few months later in early 2002, Sergio's Leukemia came back. After more chemotherapy proved unsuccessful, the family turned to their last chance, a bone marrow transplant.

"Donor marrow introduces healthy cells into the patient," Sergeant Rodriguez said. However, he explained, since bone marrow is genetic material, finding a close-enough match that won't be rejected by the patient's system can be difficult, especially if the patient is a minority.

No one in the Rodriguez family was an acceptable marrow match for Sergio, so they turned to the National Registry.

But less than a month later, before a match could be located, Sergio passed away.

The tragic loss spurred Sergeant Rodriguez on a crusade to expand the National Registry and give other families a better chance of quickly finding a marrow donor.

Sergeant Rodriguez partnered with the C.W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor Program, one of 79 national donation programs, and he has since led drives at four bases.

"I've been doing this [since Sergio's death] and encouraging other bases to get involved," Sergeant Rodriguez said. "It's a way to turn a negative into something positive."

Department of Defense personnel are a target audience for the National Registry because they typically meet the Registry's age and health standards, and embrace the spirit of volunteerism.

"Most service members are a willing audience because they feel like it's a good way to give back to the community," said Lt. Col. John Shirley, 25 IS commander, who became a Registry member in 2002.

All a volunteer needs to do to register is give an oral saliva swab, which will be tested to determine the potential donor's human leukocyte antigen type.

Any Department of Defense identification cardholders ages 18-60 are eligible, and unlike blood donations, there are very few eliminating factors.

"My goal is to get 500 people registered," Sergeant Rodriguez said, which would equal 500 more opportunities for families like the Rodriguez' to find life-saving bone marrow matches.

"It's all about creating the national registry," Colonel Shirley said. "The Department of Defense is just a small part of that."

If a registry member is later determined to be a preliminary match with a transplant candidate, as Colonel Shirley was, Registry doctors run additional blood work.

If the match is "perfect," the transplant center will request to either harvest bone marrow or collect peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) at one of their approved collection centers.

Continuing at each step is strictly optional, and all testing and travel arrangements are at no cost to the donor.

Colonel Shirley donated PBSC at the Georgetown University Hospital in Washington, D.C., through a process he described as similar to dialysis.

"You're hooked up to a machine that circulates your blood for about two hours for four days," he said. "It was relatively painless, and a small price to pay to potentially save someone's life."

But it all begins with a cotton swab, which Hurlburt and Eglin personnel can accomplish April 8 and 9, respectively.

"I encourage everyone to participate in the drive," said Col. Greg Lengyel, 1st Special Operations Wing commander, who recently became a registry member. "Worldwide, Team Hurlburt is constantly focused on saving lives every day, and this is such a simple and important way to continue those efforts right here at home."

(Editor's note: Those who want to participate but aren't available the day of the drive can pick up a donor registration packet, which can be mailed to the Registry at their convenience. Contact Sergeant Rodriguez, 884-2840 (Hurlburt); or Victoria Robinson, 883-9723, or Staff Sgt. Monique Lowe, 883-8081 (Eglin). For more information on the marrow donor program also see www.dodmarrow.com.)

Swabbing for a cause