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Bone Marrow Donor Drive Coming to NMSU

NMSU is hosting a bone marrow donor drive Thursday inspired, in part, by one stranger who gave one Las Cruces woman the gift of life in the form of a bone marrow transplant.

Laurie Abbott found out she had leukemia in 2004. She had no idea at first.

“I thought I just had a vitamin deficiency and needed Geritol or something,” said Abbott.

But her doctor knew it was more serious.

‘“And so I went to see the doctor and the first thing she said was, ‘Oh my gosh, are you here for anemia? Look at you.’ And I looked at my feet because I was wearing sandals, and they looked dead.”’

Blood tests showed she did in fact have leukemia and would need a bone marrow transplant. No one in her family was a match, so the only option was the donor database.

In 2005, doctors found a match…half a world away.

“We joked for a while it seemed like my croquet game got better from these British cells, from [my donor]. I call her Emily because I don’t know her name.”

Laurie had this to say to the donor she never got to meet.

“I would say thank you for giving me life and giving me the opportunity to share my life with my family and my loved ones," said Abbott.

NMSU will host a donor registration drive Thursday from 9 a.m. until 3 p.m.

It’s on campus at the Corbett Center and also across from Frenger Food Court.

Donors who want to register online can go to Be The Match's Web site.

Sloan Patton joined KRWG in August 2012 as assistant news director.