UP-KYCOM student donates bone marrow to a stranger in need

Heather Snyder, OMS III, never knew her grandfather, who passed away from leukemia. That’s part of what inspired Snyder, who attends the University of Pikeville-Kentucky College of Osteopathic Medicine, to register as a bone marrow donor. This January, Snyder matched with a leukemia patient and traveled to Washington, D.C., to donate blood marrow to the individual, whom she’d never met.

Snyder, whose story recently appeared in the Medical Leader, a publication produced by the Pikeville Medical Center, says the experience was overwhelmingly positive. “To know this person will have the opportunity to live a healthy life again is a true blessing,” she says.

For those interested in becoming bone marrow donors, Snyder recommends visiting deletebloodcancer.org to start the process. Though she’s never met or been in touch with the patient to whom she donated bone marrow, Snyder does receive updates on the person’s health.

Leader.