Have you ever wondered what it would be like to save someone’s life?
A beautiful young lady of our parish, Ana Rivera and her family had a change of direction happen in thir lives on
November 7, 2014. Ana and her mom were attending Friday night prayer group in the parish center when Ana
experienced some discomfort in her arm. She noticed a large bruise forming on her bicep. She showed her mom
and together with other friends decided that she should go to the emergency room and get it checked out.
They were seen at the Kaiser Emergency Room in Hillsboro and within a couple of hours were told that that she
had cancer. She was sent immediately to Kaiser Sunnyside Medical Center in Clackamas and admitted to the
Oncology floor. Ana stayed there for six weeks.
Chemotherapy was begun shortly after her arrival and the seriousness of her condition an advanced cancer case of
Acute Myeloid Leukemia was made known to them. She was told that she needed a bone marrow transplant and
then another round of chemotherapy. Her feeling of being tired in the weeks before as she attended classes as a
senior at Aloha High School progressed to her feeling very sick and extremely nauseous in a hospital bed, as the
chemo and its good and bad effects took over her body to fight the cancer.
Her mom stayed with her day and night during her hospital stay, reluctantly leaving for a night here and there
when her twin sister offered to stay with Ana and insisted that Arely go home for a night. Family and friends
pitched in to help on the home front with Ana’s younger siblings: brothers’ Jose and Salvador and sister Lupe.
She was able to come home just before Christmas. The great news came during the Christmas Season that her
brother Angel is a perfect match for her and that he is willing to be her bone marrow donor. Her bone marrow
transplant is supposed to happen sometime in February.
She was able to come to a Sunday morning youth gathering on January 4 th where we prayed over her. She has
been attending classes with the help of a home tutor through the Beaverton School District.
On January 6th, she was given news by her doctor that she would need to go back to the hospital for another round
of chemotherapy. She is just finishing that.
Your willingness to help by signing up to be on the bone marrow donor registry if you are ages 18-44, and for all to
spread the word to family, friends and co-workers will help save more lives. Your prayers is all the family has asked
for, but any financial support would also be such a help to the Rivera family.
Thousands of patients just like Ana, depend on the Be The Match Registry to find a donor who can give them the
chance for a cure. Join us. Save Lives.
A simple cheek swab is all that is needed to determine if you could be the one to save one of the thousands of
patients in need of a bone marrow transplant. You’ll only be contacted if you’re a match for someone in need. We
are seeking 18-44 year olds, in good health, that are willing to donate to any one in need to come out
and join the Be The Match Registry.
Be The Match Marrow Registry Drive
HOSTED BY: St. Cecilia Youth Ministry
DATE: Sunday, February 8, 2015
TIME: 8:30-1:30
LOCATION: St. Cecilia Activity Center Beaverton, OR 97005
Please take this opportunity to join the Be The Match Registry. By becoming a member of the Registry, you could
be a match for a patient in critical need—maybe even the only person who could save a patient’s life. Go to this
link to watch a great video about joining the registry:
http://youtu.be/rGnpFLiD-vg
The need for diversity is very important; of the 10 million members on the registry, only 10% are Hispanic, 7% are
African American and 7% are Asian.
Tissue typing is an expensive process, so financial contributions of any size are greatly appreciated, and you can
make a donation by visiting www.bethematchfoundation.org/goto/NWMATCHERS Please feel free to contact our Be
The Match representative: Magda, at 503-310-9349 or msilva@nmdp.org if you have any questions. We hope you will take a
few minutes to attend the drive and help save a life. Thank You. ~ Mary Kiefer, Coordinator of Youth Ministry 503-644-2619 x 171