Story by: Ashley Humphrey
Story by: Ashley Humphrey
SCRIPT:
TRT: 2:40
Lead: More than 18,000 people a year are diagnosed with life-threatening blood cancers or diseases where a Bone Marrow Transplant provides the best chance for survival. One UNC Student recently helped change one man’s life by donating.
Track 1: This summer, UNC student Samantha Lewis received a call she had been anticipating since she was 18. The call was from the National Marrow Donor Program, known as NMDP, informing her she was a DNA match for an older man with Leukemia. Lewis joined the registry in hopes of helping someone like her grandad, who passed from Leukemia before Lewis was born.
Christine Lewis SOT 1: “The person she was donating to was of the same gender and age as my father was, you know, Had that been an option for him, that would have been life-changing.”
Track 2: George Jonas, also known as Grandpa Jay, was an avid outdoorsman. Every time the stars shined, Lewis’ family would share stories of him.
Samantha Lewis SOT 1: “When we were growing up, we weren’t very religious. And so whenever we would see Orion’s Belt, my mom would always be like, there’s Grandpa Jay in Orion’s belt.”
Track 3: Lewis got a tattoo of Orion’s belt when she turned 18 to keep her grandad close.
Christine Lewis SOT 2: “I really cherish that idea that even though he wasn’t around that, she knows him. She knows him from pictures. She knows him from my tales.”
Track 4: Once Lewis was a confirmed match, she worked with a team at the Duke Blood Cancer Center to ensure she was ready to donate. For the five days leading up to the donation day, Lewis received two shots a day to increase her number of blood stem cells.
Samantha Lewis SOT 2: “While it’s really thrilling to help, and it’s really exciting to be able to say that you cured cancer, someone still had to go through cancer, and that sucks.”
Track 5: Lewis uniquely understands the experience of having a loved one with cancer as her father was diagnosed with cancer during her time at UNC. He is now in remission and she shared how her donation experience has helped her cope.
Samantha Lewis SOT 3: “The only thing that you can do is to hope and by donating blood stem cells, I was able to give a family something tangible to hope for”
Stand-up: Courtesy of NMDP, On August 12th Lewis and her boyfriend Vincent Bloom were driven to Duke Hospital where she received her last dose of shots.
Track 6: She then got a central line and for the next few hours underwent the Bone Marrow Transplant.
Vincent Bloom SOT 1: “Everyone in the hospital was so grateful the entire time. Everyone knew she was there, donating to someone that she didn’t even know.”
Track 7: Lewis won’t know the identity of her donation recipient for up to a year but will have an opportunity to connect with them if that person chooses.
Samantha Lewis SOT 4: “I was able to provide hope and time for someone with their loved one. And, you know, I do it all over again.”
Track 8: I’m Ashley Humphrey, reporting.
Lowers:
00:22 – Christine Lewis, Samantha Lewis’ mother
00: 44 – Samantha Lewis, UNC Student and Stem Cell Donor
2:12 -Vincent Bloom, UNC Student and Lewis’ Boyfriend
