Outer Banks-A Caring Community

Helping to pay for treatment and research. First Flight High School students man Sawyer’s support table.
Sawyer Sanchez is 16 years old, a junior at First Flight High School. He loves fishing and surfing…and he has AML—Acute Myelocytic Leukemia. It is a condition that will require a bone marrow transplant and the community has responded, coming out in force at First Flight High School to offer Buccal swabs—a saliva swab taken from the cheek—to see if there is a match.
The disease was found this summer when he was visiting his grandparents in Albuquerque. There was nothing particularly odd or different about his illness at first, according to his father, Dr. John Sanchez. “At first it was just sore throat and fever and it just didn’t get better. And he just kept getting worse and just kept getting tired,” he said.
The bloodwork came back, indicating a problem. “Sawyer was diagnosed with leukemia about six weeks ago,” Dr. Sanchez said.
Sawyer seems to be responding to his care, although it may be a long journey to full health.
“He’s had one cycle of chemotherapy treatment followed by a bone marrow biopsy and he’s done very well,” Dr. Sanchez said. “Most of the leukemia is gone through his bone marrow. He’ll still have to go through at least one more cycle of chemotherapy in the hopes he’ll go into remission.”
That is certainly good news, but AML is an aggressive form of the disease. “Once he’s in remission his type of leukemia is pretty tough to treat,” Dr. Sanchez said. “So once he’s in remission he goes quickly to a bone marrow transplant and as long as there’s a match somewhere, then that process goes quickly.”
And that is where the problem may lie. “The worst thing that can happen is that if he is in remission and there is no match and he’ll have to continue (taking treatment to remain) in remission,” Sawyer’s father said.
A bone marrow match is far more complex than matching blood types, Bettsie Letterle of Be the Match, of the National Marrow Donor Program, explains.
“It can be extremely difficult,” she said. “A matching donor is not a blood type match, it is a tissue type match. There are eight blood types out there, but there are thousands and thousands of tissue types. So it’s like finding a DNA twin.”
Although family members have the best chance to match tissue type, even that is a long shot. “They’ll look at brothers and sisters as the best possible match. Brother and sisters only match about 25% of the time,” she said. “And then they’ll go to the registry (looking for a match).”
The swabs the volunteers are giving in support of Sawyer will go into a national data base so that if someone does need a bone marrow transplant almost anywhere, there is information available.
Sawyer’s grandmother, Jacque Alameddine, was on hand, coming from Albuquerque to lend a helping hand. She sat at the entrance to the school cafeteria where the samples were being gathered and talked about how her grandson was doing.
“He has good days and he has bad days, but he’s unbelievably positive,” she said.
She tells a story about Sawyer and Sara Lee, a therapy dog at King’s Daughter in Norfolk, where he is getting treatment. “Saywer wants to be a vet,” she said. “He and the dog really have a connection. He’s been teaching her new tricks.”
“He’s trying not to focus on himself but on other people and the things he loves,” she went on to say. “He is a remarkable young man.”
Thank you all for supporting our family and Sawyer and so many other families with a child in need. We can’t tell you how appreciative we are! For anyone 44 years old and under who couldn’t make the event, please stop by the KHES Carnival on Saturday October 8th from 10-4, and we’ll register and test you right there. Or please register online and receive an easy cheek swab kit by mail. Either way, it’s free! For those older than 44, online registration is the only way to go.
https://join.bethematch.org/Sawyer
I recently met Sawyer’s momat the KHE Carnival. It was a very special moment. The road of transplants can be long. But its best taking it one step at a time. His mom got to meet my Joey . He is a testament to the miracles at Duke Pediatric Bone Marrow Transplant Unit. We call it PBMTU or the 4800 and welcone to our wonderful family. Dr. Owens at CHKD is THE best and Dr. Pual Martin is so great and trully dedicated.You are on a great ttrack already. We go back to Duke between January and March. And will be sure to visit if your still there. Joey and I send all our love. And know that you are first in our thoughts and prayers.
Grow cells Grow!!!!