Our guest speaker this week was our own Wakefield Rotarian, Lori Horton, who gave us an informative and inspiring presentation on the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP).
Lori has worked as a volunteer for this organization for a few years and found it a great opportunity to help people in need of life-saving blood products to treat a variety of diseases associated with disorders of bone marrow, the source of all red & white blood cells and platelets that nourish and protect our many organ systems. Many of these disorders are associated with cancers of the blood (leukemias), but other disorders such as the toxic effects of chemotherapy and genetic disorders can deplete our bone marrow, leaving us susceptible to a variety of life-threatening infections.
Her work involves the safe and timely transport of bone marrow acquired from donors, delivered to centers in the US and around the world, to recipients in need. As a valuable and detail oriented process, this requires training and a commitment to be available when the need arises. As fellow Rotarians, we are grateful to have someone as reliable and diligent as Lori to take on this responsibility.
