May 20, 2004

American Medical Response workers come to aid of co-worker trying to save daughter's life
They urge readers to join the National Bone Marrow Registry

By Miranda Schultz
Staff Writer

Paramedics and EMTs spend their lives helping save the lives of complete strangers, but recently the tables turned as employees of American Medical Response of Santa Clara County reached out to strangers to try to save the life of one of their own, according to AMR's Marcie Morrow.

A month after Denise Boutwell turned 19, she discovered she had a potentially terminal disease. She was diagnosed with Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia (ALL) in November, 2003. She had been attending classes at Chico State University and working at a local doctor's office when she was constantly fatigued.

"I was getting weak just walking to and from my classes. I went to the doctor, who sent me to have lab work done. The next day, after being informed of the lab results, my parents took me straight to UC Davis," says Boutwell.

Her white blood count was over 200,000, heavily exceeding the normal white blood cell counts.

She stayed in the hospital for three and a half weeks, which according to Boutwell's father, "is better than most ALL patients. She went into remission really early, which is good."

Boutwell's father, Dan, is a veteran supervisor at American Medical Response in Santa Clara County. He lives in Chico, but commutes to San Jose to live about three days a week.

"It's been difficult for our family. It's very emotional. She was a month into being 19, she had just started college, had her own vehicle, a job. She was doing really well, then all of a sudden, we find out she has leukemia."

ALL is one of many types of leukemia, which is most prominent in children under the age of 15. ALL develops quickly, compared to chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL), and is considered the most curable type of leukemia.

ALL involves the white blood cells, and occurs when too many immature white blood cells are formed. They can be released from the bone marrow into the blood and can travel to the central nervous system and the spinal cord.

These cells can also be found in the lymph nodes and the spleen. ALL patients receive chemotherapy and radiation, and have a good chance of remission.

After a patient is in remission, it is their choice to receive a bone marrow transplant. A transplant gives their body a better chance at healing, and the ability to produce healthy, normal developing cells. Boutwell needs a transplant.

"Her doctors are pretty certain that if she doesn't find a donor match, there's little chance of survival," says her father Dan.

Bone marrow transplants are most successful when they come from a sibling; there is a 25 percent chance that a sibling will match. Denise's two siblings matched each other but not Denise. Marrow from an outside donor has a two out of three success rate. Families and patients are encouraged not to look at statistics. They can be misleading.

It only takes a few minutes to get your name on the National Bone Marrow Registry. Fill out minimal paperwork and give some blood. A few minutes out of your day could mean the gift of life to a person with leukemia.

Denise's life has changed drastically since her diagnosis. She went from being an active 19-year-old college freshman to a fatigued, forced-to-be-lazy bookworm. She is in the beginning of her fourth round of chemotherapy.

"It is very draining. I have no energy. I can't exercise. I spend most of my time in my bed, reading or watching movies and having someone prepare meals for me," says Denise.

The Boutwell family has had incredible support from Dan's co-workers. Marcie Morrow helped to arrange a benefit in Denise's honor, which raised $17,000 to fund the seven drives the Boutwell's have sponsored in hopes to find a donor for Denise. Over 700 people have been tested, and the drives will continue until a match is found.

Denise says she isn't going through anything that other cancer patients aren't. "I've gone through anything and everything. The most difficult thing for me is being 19 and wanting to get out on my own, but having to still depend on my parents because I'm sick."

The donors are found by tissue typing. A potential donor attending a drive will fill out some paperwork, followed by a blood donation. The blood will be tested, and the potential marrow donor will be added to the National Bone Marrow Registry, and contacted if there is a match. There are over five million people on the registry. Each year, 4,000 new cases of ALL are diagnosed in the United States.

Denise is the oldest of three. Her brother Danny is a senior in high school, soon to graduate, and her little sister Carlina is in the fourth grade.

Denise is committed to staying positive. She is currently battling infection at the onset of her fourth round of chemo, but even so, she isn't losing hope.

"I'm hoping for the best," says Denise. "I don't want this to be how I go out. This is the worst thing I've ever had to deal with. A lot of physical pain, boredom and loneliness; I want to go to college and have a family. That's my motivation to stay positive throughout this process. I realize that the worst is out there, but I'm not ready to deal with that yet."

Denise's best bet would be a Portuguese donor, since her ancestry is of Portugal. Although, it is likely that the match will not be of Portuguese decent; Denise urges everyone between the ages of 18 and 60 to become a part of the registry.

"Time isn't what you have to find because to register takes only six minutes. It's getting out there and being able to push yourself to get through something that may be a little uncomfortable. A lot of people don't like giving blood; don't like needles and medical stuff. But people get cancer every day and need the help of donors in order to survive."

According to the National Bone Marrow Web site, most donors say they would do it again.
To help Denise and become a potential donor, contact Marcie Morrow at (408) 640-6883.