By NOELLE NICOLLS
Tribune Staff Reporter
nnicolls@tribunemedia.net

The plight of a popular Junkanoo member has paved the way for the Bahamas to create the very first Caribbean bone marrow registry.

 

Californian Sara Sorensen has so far established local partners with Bahamian physicians and Rotary Clubs towards organising a bone marrow drive.

She arrived in the Bahamas last week, motivated by a desire to save the life of her friend Roosevelt "Lee" Adderley, member of the Fancy Dancers Junkanoo group, who was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia in July. He now lives in California and is undergoing "the most aggressive chemotherapy a person could tolerate," according to Ms Sorensen.

"In order for him to survive he needs a bone marrow transplant. I brought the kits from UCLA medical centre to have his brothers tested," she said.

Donor

There are several steps towards becoming a bone marrow donor.

Ms Sorensen said the first step requires a "non invasive" procedure with no needles. The testing kit collects a sample of DNA with a "swab in the cheek." With that potential donors can put themselves on the registry.

There is a 25 per cent chance a sibling is a match, according to Ms Sorensen. If there is no match with siblings, a bone marrow registry is consulted, where "the closest ethnic match would be available."

If the initial compatibility test produces a certain number of positive results, then a further test is conducted in the form of a "normal blood test." Once the final compatibility is confirmed, the actual procedure to donate the bone marrow is an out patient procedure; "there is no surgery," according to Ms Sorensen.

Neither the Bahamas nor the Caribbean has a registry, according to Ms Sorensen. Her objective is to change that.

By NOELLE NICOLLS Tribune Staff Reporter nnicolls@tribunemedia.net THE plight of a popular Junkanoo member has paved the way for the Bahamas to create the very first Caribbean bone marrow registry. Californian Sara Sorensen has so far established local partners with Bahamian physicians and Rotary Clubs towards organising a bone marrow drive. She arrived in the Bahamas last week, motivated by a desire to save the life of her friend Roosevelt "Lee" Adderley, member of the Fancy Dancers Junkanoo group, who was diagnosed

with a rare form of leukemia in July. He now lives in California and is undergoing "the most aggressive chemotherapy a person could tolerate," according to ...

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