On Monday, December 02, 2013, my family held a bone marrow registry drive for my dad who would soon undergo a bone marrow transplant. That day along with nearly 100 other family members, friends, and people from the community, I joined the Be the Match Bone Marrow Registry. Fast forward to May 15 of this year- nearly ten years later I was contacted about being a potential donor to someone battling the same blood disorder my dad battled, myelofibrosis. After a multitude of tests, and many scheduling quandaries, I sit here composing this article in a hotel room in Winston-Salem on the eve of my donation date, Wednesday, June 28.
I have been asked numerous times over this past month why I have chosen to follow through with this, and I can’t help but think of my dad’s bone marrow donor. They made a choice to donate in hopes of saving dad’s life. I feel that this is the least I can do to give someone else a chance at life, all while honoring the memory of my dad. When dad passed away February 16, 2014, I made it my duty to recognize how God has been faithful to me, even in the midst of what was an incredible tragedy. I have found countless indications of God’s faithfulness, but I have to say that this opportunity is one of the greatest. It reminds me that God can make something good even out of the most difficult situations, and that God always holds you in the palm of his hands. Where can you see God’s faithfulness in your life? God’s peace, John Lineberger