For the St. Louis American
Centennial Christian Church was alive June 10 with music, celebration and praise as it hosted a free gospel concert to honor the life of Jacqueline “Jackie” Sheree Donahue, who passed away March 24, 2005 from leukemia.
A portion of the gospel program was dedicated to educating the audience about the growing need for African-American marrow donors. If Jackie had received a bone-marrow transplant, she may have won her fight against leukemia.
The event was part of a month-long series of 15 registration drives throughout the St. Louis area in an effort to increase the number of people on the Bone Marrow Registry.
The biggest event in June, dubbed “Jes Us 4 Jackie Month,” will take place this Saturday, June 25, when he Jes Us 4 Jackie Drive will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the America Center in Downtown St. Louis.
Richard Mason from the Heart of America Donor Center/National Marrow Donor Program took the stage at the June 10 event and asked members of the audience to consider attending the bone-marrow registration drive the next day.
Jackie’s mother, Sarah Donahue, attended the gospel concert, along with her choir from Hopewell Missionary Baptist Church. Due to poor health, Sarah is unable to join the bone-marrow registry. However, her daughter, Jackie’s sister, Ashley Donahue, is on the registry.
According to Mason, 80 percent of Caucasians find a bone-marrow donor match while only 50 percent of African Americans do so. Since the bone-marrow matching process is based on tissue types, individuals within the same ethnic groups are more likely to be compatible.
“Jackie has a new face now, and it’s many faces,” Mason said. “It’s forever changing.”
Mason told the audience of two 6-year-old boys living in St. Louis who have Aplastic Anemia and require weekly blood transfusions. He also mentioned an East St. Louis woman in her thirties who has three children and suffers from leukemia. There is also a 24-year-old young man who recently got engaged, only to be diagnosed with leukemia three days after his engagement. Mason said all four are in need of bone-marrow transplants and are currently on the waiting list.
“That’s why celebrating the legacy of Jackie Donahue is so important,” Mason said.
In 2003, Jackie, along with brother, Cornell “Nelly” Haynes, established the Jes Us 4 Jackie campaign. Jackie wanted to raise awareness among the African-American community about the shortage of African Americans on the National Marrow Donor Program Registry.
Mason said grass-roots efforts such as the Jes Us 4 Jackie campaign help get the word out to people who might not otherwise have known about the bone marrow donation shortage.
During the marrow registration drive, potential donors are asked to fill out a short medical history form and give a tablespoon of blood. The blood sample can either be taken by a finger stick or needle method.
“Some people think they have to donate marrow at registration drives, or even a bone,” Mason said.
It takes approximately 4 to 6 weeks before a donor finds out if there is a potential match. Chalena Mack, executive director of the 4Sho4Kids Foundation that incorporates Jes Us 4 Jackie, said the testing for bone-marrow donation is as precise as DNA matching. If a marrow match is found, the donor is notified, and a complete blood screening is conducted to confirm the match.
“A lot of times, they back down because they don’t understand the process,” Mack said. “With education and with knowledge, you can make an educated decision.”
Mason said the goal for the drive on June 11 was 25 registered donors, but 29 people signed up. At the America’s Center on June 25, Mason said, the goal is 1,000 registered donors.
“The power that we have in our hands right now,” Wilson said, “saves lives.”
The Jes Us 4 Jackie Drive will be held June 25 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the America Center in Downtown St. Louis. For more information, call (888) 211-2775 or visit www.jesus4jackie.com or www.marrow.org.