SAN ANTONIO – Reggie Campbell, 40, was a health and fitness coach, a photographer, but extra importantly a father and spouse.
Reggie was diagnosed with a scarce variety of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in April of 2017. His wife, Zenaida Campbell, explained just a pair of many years prior they had truly joined the bone marrow registry.
“It’s outrageous since a couple of decades prior to that, we had joined the bone marrow registry at our regional parish, our church. Just type of insane how factors sort of fell into position that we had joined the bone marrow registry at that position, but not recognizing what was in keep for him,” reported Zenaida.
Reggie battled his prognosis through 2017. Zenaida said he was in and out of remission by way of most of 2019, but under no circumstances once exhibited a indication of defeat.
“I truthfully by no means saw him have a negative frame of mind in direction of anything at all. He hardly ever at the time reported ‘why me.’ He in no way questioned, like, why he was heading as a result of this journey,” said Zenaida.
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Nonetheless, in Might of 2020, Reggie in the end lost his fight.
According to the South Texas Blood and Tissue Heart, 14,000 individuals are at this time in have to have of a bone marrow or stem mobile transplant, which is a life-altering procedure for people today with leukemia and other blood ailments. Regrettably, minorities have a lesser percentage of getting a match because of to a lack of donors with related backgrounds.
Reggie’s chanced of finding a marrow or stem cell donor at the time was only 23% owing to needing a match with a identical ethnic qualifications.
In an work to diversify and improve likely donors, a registry drive will consider place May possibly 25th at the Lifestyle Time health club at the Rim where by Reggie labored as a coach.
“I’m usually likely to honor him and I always want to retain on pushing for blood donations and people to sign up for the bone marrow registry simply because which is what he wished. He genuinely cared about other individuals. It was not about him,” mentioned Zenaida.
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The blood and marrow registry generate will be from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. with the South Texas Blood and Tissue Center in honor of Reggie.
To program an appointment to donate blood, take a look at SouthTexasBlood.org or phone (210)-731-5590. Donors can also be part of the Be The Match Registry by completing a cheek swab package at the travel.
Blood donations, specifically kinds O damaging and positive, are nonetheless urgently needed
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