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Star's light shines on bone marrow drive

  • Published
  • By 2nd Lt. Lori Fiorello
  • Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations Public Affairs
DOVER AIR FORCE BASE, Del. --  Thousands of patients dream about the day when a bone marrow donor can make their life-saving transplant a reality.

An NCO at Air Force Mortuary Affairs Operations at Dover Air Force Base, Del., hopes to make that dream a reality for one person.

Master Sgt. Star Hoffland, NCO in charge of readiness with AFMAO, recently received notification from the C. W. Bill Young Department of Defense Marrow Donor program that she is a potential match for a leukemia patient in the Midwest.

"I was very surprised -- I never thought they'd ever call," said the Maryland native knowing there's a 1 in 20,000 chance of ever finding a match for someone who is not a blood relative.

Hoffland participated in Dover AFB's marrow donor drive in 2009 and donated a swab of cells from the inside of her cheek. The sample was sent to the DoD Marrow Donor Program laboratory and her name was added to the National Marrow Donor Program Registry.

People commonly have misconceptions about the donation process and have fears that prevent them from donating.

"It's different than donating blood -- the only time you are contacted is when there is a match to a specific person in need, which means that you are the only person that can help," said Master Sgt. Michael Meinhold, flight engineer training supervisor with the 436th Operations Support Squadron.

"We live our lives by milestones," said the donor advocate. "Whether it's a birthday, anniversary, graduation ... for the people who are on the donor waitlist, their milestone may be tomorrow."

"By giving a little bit of yourself, you can give a brand new life to someone else," said Meinhold.

Meinhold doesn't get notified when the registry finds a match, only when a potential donor contacts him just as Hoffland did seconds after her initial notification.

He has been the base representative for the donor program since 2006 and has enrolled 15 donors who were matches for patients that have notified him they were matches.

While Hoffland awaits results confirming if she's a match, she encourages potential donors to participate in the upcoming drive and to keep in mind that receiving a bone marrow transplant is the last chance for someone suffering from over 70 diseases.

"I'm sure I'll hurt for a few days, but a little bit of pain is nothing when it comes to helping someone live," said Hoffland expressing her own fears about the process.

Eligible volunteers under the DoD program include all service members and their dependents and DoD civilians, ages 18 to 60 in good health.

Those interested in a chance to save a life can do so at the upcoming bone marrow donor registration drive here, from May 29 to June 1. For more information contact Hoffland at 302-677-2456 or visit the C.W. Bill Young DoD Marrow Donor Program website at http://www.dodmarrow.org/index.htm.