This is Peter. I have never met Peter nor do I have any ties to him or to Duke University (other than the obvious KU basketball rival). I received an email with this video and photo yesterday through my sister in law and the Colorado Be The Match Account Manager she has been working with executing several local drives. (I happen to have the BEST sister in law ever). It is actually shocking I saw this email, if you knew how many unread emails I have (currently 34,399). I know that will make some of your skin crawl. Anywho…

Peter is a 20 year old Duke University student and received a bone marrow transplant 10 years ago (May 30 will be ten years exactly). He also had AML and had an anonymous unrelated donor match bone marrow transplant identified through Be The Match. Peter, through word of mouth, (#rockchalk , #KUbetas, #KUbethematch) heard about Luke. And he rolled with it.

Thankfully, when I requested Peters contact information, he agreed and it was sent to me. (Peter didn’t know at the time how much I love to text and may be regretting that now). I know many of you can relate. Clearly, don’t ever email me. Peter and I texted back and forth yesterday and he couldn’t have been kinder. He had so many words of encouragement and hope. I asked him some specific questions about his treatment, life after the transplant, and his experience with side effects short and long term. He is clearly a man with a huge heart and is using that love and experience making a huge impact. What struck me more about Peter was the obvious. Typical college-age, male, similar heritage (matches are all about heritage), and a survivor. I say survivor and thriver. He lives a normal life and said, “most people around me don’t even know I had AML and a transplant.” I bet he is living an extraordinary life! That is what I want for both my sons. To get back to living their extraordinary lives. And they will. I guess at that point, I will have to start figuring out my life! Or not.

Peter and I are friends and now family. We are part of the cancer family. It is the unspoken love, compassion, heartbreak, and understanding of going through a cancer journey. It is NEVER a family I wanted or dreamt of being a part of but here I am. (I didn’t tell Peter we were family- he may have changed his digits after that). Peter texted me last night around 7 PM and the last count he had was 912. He held two events yesterday on behalf of Luke and by the end of the day had 912 people swabbed on the Duke University campus. (those are some SMART cells :)). Did I mention 912? In one day.

This is just one example of the many BTM drives that people are hosting on behalf of Luke. I’m speechless- and you know that NEVER happens. So grateful for all of you.

Keep swabbing. As I like to say “keep fucking going.” (thanks Erica-aka E)

912 Buckets in a day,

Suz