Bruce Denniston Bone Marrow Society will be marking its 25th anniversary with a special visitor. Pauline Humphreys, the original bone marrow donor for Constable Bruce Denniston, will be a guest of honour at the RCMP Musical Ride 7 pm on Thursday, August 1 at Paradise Exhibition Grounds.
“Pauline embodies everything good about the selfless act of donating your bone marrow to save the life of someone you don’t know,” said Danita Senf, a representative of the society.
Senf said that on its anniversary, the society would like the residents of Powell River to remember their overwhelming response when Constable Denniston was first diagnosed with leukemia in 1987.
When none of his family, or the hundreds of other Powell River residents who got tested, were a match, members of the community formed Bruce Denniston Bone Marrow Society.
The society aimed to spur the Canadian Red Cross to expand its Unrelated Bone Marrow Registry, which only had about 1,500 names at the time. Funds raised by the society covered the cost of searching registries in the United States and Great Britain.
A match for Denniston, Pauline Humphreys, was finally found in England. Powell River rejoiced when Humphreys agreed to have her bone marrow extracted. The match came too late, however. Denniston was too weak to survive the transplant.
Though her donation was not able to save Denniston’s, Humphreys said it has changed her own life. She first met the Denniston family 18 months after their father’s death and has been a part of their lives ever since. “I’ve got a second family, which means weddings, grandchildren,” she said. “It’s great.”
Humphreys and her husband visit Powell River regularly and the Denniston clan has visited them overseas as well.
Senf said Humphreys’ experience demonstrates the strong bond that can form through bone marrow donation. “The donor benefits not only from the knowledge that they can save a life...but from the joys of meeting a person or their family,” she explained.”
Humphreys encouraged anyone who can to sign up as a possible donor. “When you go on the register, you’re just a name and a number,” she explained, “but when your number comes up, you can help someone and hopefully save their life.”
In the 25 years the bone marrow society has been in existence, the number of donors registered in Canada has grown from 1,500 to 340,000. “We are proud to have played an important role in that growth,” said Senf.
She would like to remind people, however, that the fight still continues today. “There are other lives to be saved in our community, our province, our country,” said Senf. “The need for donors is as great as ever.”
Interested readers can learn more about the bone marrow society online. Tickets are still available for the musical ride, at The Knack, River City Coffee and Rainbow Valley Pet and Farm Supplies. Bought in advance, they are $10 for adults and teens ($15 at event entrances) and $5 for children 12 and under.
