S EW ICK LEY
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Meet Robin Ruse-Rinehart Barris ’73
WIN TER
2012
they told me they were there to ‘pick up an angel.’” She was impressed that such a complex process – from the registry list to the testing, to the procedure and donation, to the transferring of blood to another part of the world – could be conducted so well by such a vast network of people who work to save lives each day. Though Robin later learned that her recipient didn’t survive her battle with leukemia, she would “donate again in a heartbeat,” and she continues to spread awareness about bone marrow donation through her work with the National Marrow Donor Program.
Meet Dr. Dave Parda Robin Ruse-Rinehart Barris ’73 (left) and Seun Adibiyi (middle) shared their bone marrow donation/transplant stories with Senior School students like Duncan MacDougall ’12 (right), who later organized a blood and bone marrow drive on campus.
When Robin Ruse-Rinehart Barris ’73 received her summer 2011 issue of Sewickley Speaking, she immediately connected with the More to Live For event. Living in California and a bone marrow donor herself, she couldn’t believe the coincidence that she was going to be in Sewickley at the same time as Seun’s visit and film screening. She contacted the school, and plans were made for her to be a part of the event to share her experience as a donor. More than 15 years ago, Robin registered to be a bone marrow donor after reading a story in the paper about someone in need. A few swabs of the cheek later, Robin was on the list but didn’t hear anything until 10 years later when she received a call that she had been identified a match. Many more months went by before she went in for further testing, which proved that she was, indeed, a match. Though the identity of the marrow recipients and donors are kept confidential until a year after the transplant, Robin peeked at her file during an appointment and learned that her recipient was a teenage girl in Brazil. For the months leading up to the donation procedure, Robin felt pressure to be extra careful with herself. “I wanted to wrap myself in bubble wrap,” she said. Robin knew her recipient’s immune system was weakened just as Seun’s was before his transplant. If something happened to her, the young girl in Brazil didn’t have a chance at survival. Robin underwent a successful donation procedure in 2006. In October, she shared with Senior School students the ease of the process. “The National Bone Marrow Program sent a limo service to my home the morning of my donation,” explained Robin. “And
Dr. Dave Parda is a parent at the Academy and an oncologist at Allegheny General Hospital. He has dedicated his life’s work to cancer awareness and improved cancer care and has his own personal story to share about how he and his family have been impacted by cancer. Seun, Dave, and Dave’s wife, Rhonda, were able to come together on October 21 to share their unique stories with one another, furthering their mutual goal of strengthening cancer awareness and support. Dave’s first experience with cancer was not through medical school but nearly four decades ago when his 12-year-old sister, just a year older than Dave, was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia. Dave explained that, at that time in the early ’70s, cure rates were only one to two percent, and community resources were limited. “It was terrible to see my sister suffer like she did, but she and the many other bald-headed kids in the cancer ward gave me an early view of the incredible bravery and power of the human spirit,” says Dave. “It inspired me to improve cancer care and to focus on things that matter.” “Experiences like these lead many people into the field of oncology and help the best health care professionals keep sight of the individual patient, their family, and their communities of support,” says Dave. “Similarly, Seun courageously shares his personal story to increase awareness about bone marrow donation. In doing this, he recognizes the humanity beyond the disease and found great healing and strength in the face of toxic treatments and an uncertain future. Those of us who care for cancer patients are amazed and inspired each day by the strength and courage of our patients.” The Sewickley Series brought together three inspiring individuals who chose to persevere, save, and heal. Seun, Robin, and Dave are a collective testament to the power of three.
With the simple swab of your cheek, you can become part of the National Bone Marrow Registry. Visit www.marrow.org/join to learn more.
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