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Update on Doreene Carney, April 2009
Recently, in one of our work staff meetings, I was presented with a letter and framed stamp artwork from the Postmaster General in Washington DC, honoring the contribution I made into Daniel De-Gale's life and his family's lives; and how our joint story continues to provide hope and encouragement to others. The US Postal Service continues to be a major contributor to the Gift of Life Campaign!
I have already been asked to be one of the speakers at a bone marrow event being planned in the fall in Washington, DC. I am still amazed how my gift keeps giving and blessing others.
Doreene xx
Update on Doreene Carney, September 2008
Since I became a marrow donor, I have learned so much about the process from both sides: the recipients and their families, and that of the donors. I have been so honored to participate in a number of bone marrow drives, radio interviews, magazine article write-ups, and speaking engagements since becoming a bone marrow donor. Even to this day, I find it amazing that the true-life story of Daniel and me is still affecting people, still encouraging people to join the marrow registry.
I look back on that year when my marrow was harvested for Daniel De-Gale, then 12 years old, and how my one act of giving changed not only Daniel’s future, but the future of many individuals. At the time of the donation my father was quite ill with a combination of Alzheimer’s disease and dementia. Six months after the marrow donation to Daniel, my Dad died. On one hand I was able to save a life; on the other, there was nothing more in a physical way I could impact my father’s future. He did not see the year 2000. I know my dad is proud of me. I believe we do what we can for others, when we can – no matter how small the act of kindness may seem to ourselves.
Since that day in 1999, I had the opportunity to speak to many groups of people, encouraging them to be donors. Our local American Red Cross had set up local bone marrow drives and radio interviews so this great need for volunteers could be shared with the residents of the Detroit area. Later that year I was invited to attend annual dinner for the National Organ Donor charity event. As a result of the good works this organization is doing to save even more lives, I registered with this charity so that at my death my vital organs can be given to help someone else live a longer life.
During the next couple of years I was a guest speaker at three events to find donors for two sisters and participated in bone marrow drives. Not only did I speak but helped people complete their registration using the DNA swabbing technique. It was a joy to do this and explain to the registrants the process. With this procedure, no needle prick is needed at all! It just cannot be any easier to register! The year following my meeting the De-Gale/Lewis family I participated in a pre-Mother’s Day event the Red Cross sponsored at its Detroit headquarters, the theme was, “Thank You, Mom.” We registered people for the registry and provided free t-shirts and snacks for everyone who participated. This was televised on the area news broadcast later that evening.
In March 22, 2005, I and the founder of “Bone Marrow Wish Foundation” www.bonemarrowwish.org, John Frierson, were interviewed by a local Black radio station to raise awareness for the cause. He started this organization in 2003 after responding to the call for donors in 2002. He was on the registry a mere six months and received the call he had matched someone in need. This organization has recruited 1,000 donors to the NDMP and educated over 3,000 African-Americans to the need for donors. Since meeting we have partnered on several marrow drive events over the past few years to encourage more donors to sign on to the registry.
I spoke at a church awhile back, just sharing my story and the fact that “one person can make a difference!” After my presentation, when the church pastor got up to deliver his Sunday message, he said I had stolen his message! Wow! What I said was right in sync with his message. When we give to others, we can’t help but be blessed! Giving just keeps on giving.
In February 2008, I was invited to Postal Service Headquarters in Washington, DC, to share my marrow donation story with approximately 45 Postal Service bone marrow coordinators from across the United States and representatives from the National Donor Marrow Program. The goal of the meeting was to encourage the coordinators as they sponsored marrow drives in their home communities and reach out to the thousands of multi-ethnic postal employees in the country to join the registry. What better way than to hear from someone who had first-hand experience with the process. I shared the video of my first meeting with Daniel De-Gale and his family, the same video that can be viewed on the ACLT website! It was such a moving experience – there was not a dry eye in the room. I was able to share with the group the fact that the donation process was nothing to fear. I was able to stress to the group that one person can make a difference – in spite of all of the negative things that are portrayed every day through news and television media! Everyone one of the coordinators wanted to have a copy of that video to use at their upcoming registry drives.
Over the years I have made myself available to share my story with anyone or any group willing to listen. It has been so rewarding to see more and more people join the registry and placing themselves in a position to bless others. It does not seem like nine years have passed since my donation process occurred. I am still passionate and emotional whenever I speak on the subject. Whenever I have taken a guest to a marrow drive, they join the registry. It’s just that simple to share the spirit of life!
This past August 2008, I was invited to be a guest at the Southeast Michigan NDMP Donor Appreciation Bar-B-Q. This event provided opportunities to meet other donors, share donor experiences, and continue to support the registry cause. I encouraged the quiet ones to be bold and share their stories because more potential donors need to hear these stories and share their experiences to encourage more registrants.
Another benefit I have received is I have drawn even closer to the De-Gale/Lewis family. Whenever an opportunity arises for us to get together, I cannot say “no.” I am frequently asked by co-workers and friends if our two families keep in contact. It opens the door for me to ask, when will you join the registry?” I am proud and honored to always say that we have ongoing communication and deepening relationship.
The need for marrow donors is a global one. So many, many people need help. I encourage those who are sitting on the fence to join the marrow registry. Stop procrastinating! Technology makes communication easier everyday. We can reach more people more quickly than ever before.
God Bless You!
Doreene Carney
This section below was originally written by Beverley De-Gale, the mother of former Leukaemia sufferer, Daniel De-Gale
The closing chapter of this amazing real life story has finally taken place when on Friday the 2nd April our family (Orin, Dominique, Daniel and me) flew the 4,000 miles trip of a lifetime from Heathrow to Detroit to finally personally say thank you to the person who directly gave Daniel De-Gale the Gift of Life, his donor and our newest family member Doreene Carney.
On Wednesday 16th June 1999 after 6 years of suffering with Leukaemia, Daniel finally had a Bone Marrow Transplant from a Matched Unrelated Donor. This wonderful person, Doreene, had only just recently joined the Bone Marrow Register, therefore proving our theory that Daniel’s donor could always be the next person who joined the register. Our charity the African Caribbean Leukaemia Trust (ACLT) were very instrumental in raising the awareness in the UK for Black and Mixed Parentage people to register as potential donors to help Daniel and many others in his situation. When we started in 1996 there were less than 600 Black people registered in the UK, now it stands at approx. 15,000. Our message was broadcast via the News Media and Internet all around the world and eventually the Anthony Nolan Trust, the American Red Cross and the National Marrow Donor Program after many years of searching finally located his donor. We had always been eternally grateful to this mysterious individual, wherever in the world they lived.
Doreene is from near Detroit in Michigan, USA and joined the bone marrow register when the American Red Cross did an appeal for donors (especially Ethnic Minorities) at her place of work, the United States Postal Service. Doreene was not aware until then of the shortage and need for Black people to step forward as potential donors and so joined the register that day. Shortly afterwards she was contacted and told that she was a match for a 12 year old boy urgently needing a match. Doreene then had a choice to make. She could have stepped back from the brink and refused, but after looking to her strong Christian beliefs she decided it was only right and proper to go forward and merge faith and medical science to help save a life. “I could not possibly see how anyone would not want to be a blessing to someone else when possible”. The rest is history as they say.
Members of our family wrote their own personal thank you cards, just to show how much they appreciated what she has done for us all, which we handed over to Doreene. Along with her family she was very touched by their heartfelt words
A Premiership Soccer player by the name of Andrew Impey kindly funded the trip. He has followed Daniel's campaign from its start, and actually attended one of our registration clinics in the very early days (Harlesden Library). What a wonderful gesture. We had always been eternally grateful to this mysterious individual, wherever in the world they lived. But now we were finally able to get the chance to say thank you in person to this wonderful person and born again Christian, Doreene, who had emailed us to say the following:
“It's pretty breath taking and exciting (all rolled into one). It's bigger than I could ever think it would be. We're talking National attention. I'm too excited and will have to calm down!” For Orin, Dominique and myself it was very emotional moment when Doreene knocked on our hotel door and Daniel opened it to greet her. There were many hugs, tears of joy. Doreene and Daniel embraced and there are not enough adequate words to express that magic moment. Daniel expressed his gratitude and thanks from the bottom of his heart. He also said it was a strange feeling as he almost felt like he had known her for years. This wonderful lady has now become a part of our family and she has opened her arms and is now calling us her family. She refers to Daniel like he is a son and he now calls her his Auntie Dor. We can honestly say that we have not been this happy in a very long time, or as she keeps saying to us 'GOD IS GOOD!!!!!'
The 5 day visit which included many highlights such as visiting the Motown Museum, the Museum of African American History was a wonderful experience and was further enhanced by being documented by the ITV London Today TV film crew for coverage back in the UK. Thanks to you all for your past and continuous support and encouragement. We are so happy to have shared this wonderful news with everyone via the miracle of telecommunications such as TV and the Internet all around the UK and World who have closely followed Daniel’s story from those long dark and frightening days to the present day. Hopefully it will inspire others who face an uncertain future or individuals from all communities to register as potential Bone Marrow donors to help save a life and make a difference.
Daniel De-Gale our amazing son and Doreene Carney a magnificent lady, what an inspiration they are to us all.
