A team of eight is biking 600 miles in 11 days to raise awareness for bone marrow transplant needs.The group made a stop in Wauwatosa Monday to visit Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin.According to Froedtert, Milwaukee is the hub for all bone and blood marrow transplants in the world.The Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), located within Froedtert & MCW’s Clinical Cancer Center, contains the world’s largest database of blood and marrow transplant outcomes.”There are a lot of patients being diagnosed with blood cancers that need transplants,” said Allison Baus, a clinical educator and bone marrow transplant unit nurse at Froedtert. “It is so important. We’re a big center. We do, I want to say within this past year 350 to 400 transplants a year.”Baus is a donor herself. She said she helped save a 31-year-old’s life through donation.The cycling team members have stories of their own.”In 2016, I was diagnosed with a very rare bone marrow disorder called myelofibrosis. And as a result, I began the search for a donor,” Marsha Krone told WISN 12 News. “We added probably close to a thousand donors on my behalf that wanted to see if they could save my life.”Six years later Krone is still searching. During her process, she discovered her already uncommon form of cancer is even rarer.”I have two of the 10 rare HLA markers you need in order to find a donor,” Krone said. “My transplant doctor said you probably have less than one percent chance of finding a donor.”Krone is fighting those odds and is raising awareness as the team journey’s across the Midwest. “I say try or die,” Krone said. “And if you have to try you know you’ll try.”If you’d like to sign up to be on the donor registry click here.
A team of eight is biking 600 miles in 11 days to raise awareness for bone marrow transplant needs.
The group made a stop in Wauwatosa Monday to visit Froedtert Hospital and the Medical College of Wisconsin.
According to Froedtert, Milwaukee is the hub for all bone and blood marrow transplants in the world.
The Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR), located within Froedtert & MCW’s Clinical Cancer Center, contains the world’s largest database of blood and marrow transplant outcomes.
“There are a lot of patients being diagnosed with blood cancers that need transplants,” said Allison Baus, a clinical educator and bone marrow transplant unit nurse at Froedtert. “It is so important. We’re a big center. We do, I want to say within this past year 350 to 400 transplants a year.”
Baus is a donor herself. She said she helped save a 31-year-old’s life through donation.
The cycling team members have stories of their own.
“In 2016, I was diagnosed with a very rare bone marrow disorder called myelofibrosis. And as a result, I began the search for a donor,” Marsha Krone told WISN 12 News. “We added probably close to a thousand donors on my behalf that wanted to see if they could save my life.”
Six years later Krone is still searching. During her process, she discovered her already uncommon form of cancer is even rarer.
“I have two of the 10 rare HLA markers you need in order to find a donor,” Krone said. “My transplant doctor said you probably have less than one percent chance of finding a donor.”
Krone is fighting those odds and is raising awareness as the team journey’s across the Midwest.
“I say try or die,” Krone said. “And if you have to try you know you’ll try.”
If you’d like to sign up to be on the donor registry click here.
