D'Marco Jackson Fighting the Odds
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D’Marco Jackson Fighting the Odds
At 16 I think we can all relate to feeling like it’s us against the world. We are trying to figure out our future: What do we want to do? Who do we want to be? The questions that drive us to work towards something. Now imagine being 16, academically on top of your game, with a future in football, and being told “you can never play again”. D’Marco was 16 when he received his diagnosis of having the chronic disease of Severe Aplastic Anemia, a cancer that destroys your bone marrow preventing it from producing very much needed blood cells. D’Marco’s fight against the odds began here. After months of blood transfusions and several rounds of chemotherapy his chronic disease fell into remission for a short time. It allowed him to live a normal life excluding football. He became Student Council Vice President, Homecoming King, Pep Rally Emcee, and a senior graduate speaker. Severe Aplastic Anemia stood dormant enough to give him hope that he could apply to college and he was accepted at all 7. It gave him enough hope to believe he can plan his future.
Just as his future was beginning to take shape, his health took a turn. He became weaker and more tired. Something was not right. After several visits to the doctors and tests, not only was he battling Severe Aplastic Anemia, but now he had been diagnosed with MDS and PNH, two different types of cancers attacking the bone marrow. The odds against D’Marco had just tripled, and his fight to live became harder. To survive he would need a bone marrow transplant. Not having the option of a related donor, he would need to find an unrelated donor that was his “perfect match”. Finding a match is difficult, but when you are of a mixed ethnicity, it becomes much more challenging. It took a donor to appear from Brazil to give D’Marco hope. But the odds keep stacking against him. With no antibodies, and zero immune system to ward off any ailments DMarco’s date to have a transplant has to be postponed. He needs platelets for procedures, antibodies to fight germs, transfusions to keep him going, and aggressive chemotherapy to be able to receive transplant.
Realizing that he would have to put his life and dreams of college on hold has been one of the most devastating parts of this whole process. Having watched the excitement that came with each acceptance fade into frustration as his days are spent at the hospital instead of a college lecture hall has been truly heartbreaking. Even with this setback, D’Marco is more determined than ever to pursue his dreams of becoming a nurse and paying forward the incredible medical care he has received. D’Marco has always said that his goal in this life is to make a lasting impact on this world and while I may never understand why he was chosen for this journey, I can’t help but think that through this struggle he will accomplish this goal. While he still has a battle, D’Marco remains positive and determined to win his war against cancer. Every day he works harder than ever to regain his health and move towards his future, which remains bright. Even with this setback, D’Marco is more determined than ever to pursue his dreams of becoming a nurse and paying forward the incredible medical care he has received.
A lot of the costs to keep D’Marco alive are not covered under his mother’s (Lucet Galarza-Martinez) health plan. The before and after treatments are extremely expensive, and his mother (Lucet) needs all the help she can get to cover these expenses and for this very reason we are campaigning this GO FUND ME account. Thank you and God Bless each and every one for your continued support, encouraging words, prayers and thoughts both near and far.
Special Thank You to Jaime Conklin & Monique Ortiz
D’Marco Jackson Fighting the Odds
At 16 I think we can all relate to feeling like it’s us against the world. We are trying to figure out our future: What do we want to do? Who do we want to be? The questions that drive us to work towards something. Now imagine being 16, academically on top of your game, with a future in football, and being told “you can never play again”. D’Marco was 16 when he received his diagnosis of having the chronic disease of Severe Aplastic Anemia, a cancer that destroys your bone marrow preventing it from producing very much needed blood cells. D’Marco’s fight against the odds began here. After months of blood transfusions and several rounds of chemotherapy his chronic disease fell into remission for a short time. It allowed him to live a normal life excluding football. He became Student Council Vice President, Homecoming King, Pep Rally Emcee, and a senior graduate speaker. Severe Aplastic Anemia stood dormant enough to give him hope that he could apply to college and he was accepted at all 7. It gave him enough hope to believe he can plan his future.
Just as his future was beginning to take shape, his health took a turn. He became weaker and more tired. Something was not right. After several visits to the doctors and tests, not only was he battling Severe Aplastic Anemia, but now he had been diagnosed with MDS and PNH, two different types of cancers attacking the bone marrow. The odds against D’Marco had just tripled, and his fight to live became harder. To survive he would need a bone marrow transplant. Not having the option of a related donor, he would need to find an unrelated donor that was his “perfect match”. Finding a match is difficult, but when you are of a mixed ethnicity, it becomes much more challenging. It took a donor to appear from Brazil to give D’Marco hope. But the odds keep stacking against him. With no antibodies, and zero immune system to ward off any ailments DMarco’s date to have a transplant has to be postponed. He needs platelets for procedures, antibodies to fight germs, transfusions to keep him going, and aggressive chemotherapy to be able to receive transplant.
Realizing that he would have to put his life and dreams of college on hold has been one of the most devastating parts of this whole process. Having watched the excitement that came with each acceptance fade into frustration as his days are spent at the hospital instead of a college lecture hall has been truly heartbreaking. Even with this setback, D’Marco is more determined than ever to pursue his dreams of becoming a nurse and paying forward the incredible medical care he has received. D’Marco has always said that his goal in this life is to make a lasting impact on this world and while I may never understand why he was chosen for this journey, I can’t help but think that through this struggle he will accomplish this goal. While he still has a battle, D’Marco remains positive and determined to win his war against cancer. Every day he works harder than ever to regain his health and move towards his future, which remains bright. Even with this setback, D’Marco is more determined than ever to pursue his dreams of becoming a nurse and paying forward the incredible medical care he has received.
A lot of the costs to keep D’Marco alive are not covered under his mother’s (Lucet Galarza-Martinez) health plan. The before and after treatments are extremely expensive, and his mother (Lucet) needs all the help she can get to cover these expenses and for this very reason we are campaigning this GO FUND ME account. Thank you and God Bless each and every one for your continued support, encouraging words, prayers and thoughts both near and far.
Special Thank You to Jaime Conklin & Monique Ortiz
Organizer
Lucet Galarza-Martinez
Organizer
Brandermill, VA
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