POWERGRAMS

POWER OF GOOD All Blessings Flow 'Bubble Boy' receives bone marrow transplant Although they had never met, Trey Hayes believes he was born to be one little boy's last hope. "God put me in the right place at the right time. He created me to be a match for this kid when I was born 28 years ago," said Hayes, who recently donated his bone marrow to a 9-yearold child battling severe combined immunodeficiency syndrome (SCIDS), often called the "Bubble Boy" disease. It all began for the Montgomery market specialist seven months ago when his church hosted a bone marrow drive. Learning that a young church member with leukemia gained a second chance at life thanks to a bone marrow transplant, Hayes signed up for Be The Match Registry. Operated by the National Marrow Donor Program, the registry was developed to find a genetic match for people with blood cancers like leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell anemia and other life-threatening diseases. The first step, Hayes said, was to complete some forms and allow the Be The Match representative at the drive to take a few cheek swabs to determine his DNA. Four months later, Hayes learned he was among eight people considered a potential match. All of the candidates had their blood tested to identify the best match for the patient. On July 16, Be The Match informed Hayes his bone marrow matched the boy's. "When I got the call, I had walked out of the doctor's office with my wife, Amanda, who is pregnant with our first child. We had just heard the baby's heartbeat, and I was already kind of emotional," Hayes said. "Then when I learned I was a match for this boy, I just sat in my car and cried. It was one of the happiest days of my life; I'll never forget that moment." Hayes underwent further blood testing to make sure he and the boy were a perfect match. The doctor who would extract Hayes' bone marrow told him that he could be called on to donate more than once due to the severity of the boy's condition. Scouring the Internet for more information about SCIDS, Hayes discovered these patients' immune systems can be almost nonfunctional. "At 9 years old, the boy is already pretty old for a transplant. It's probably the last resort," Hayes said. "But I'm willing to give him my bone marrow as many times as it takes." The transplant process was extremely risky for the boy, Hayes said. The child underwent two weeks of intensive chemotherapy to destroy blood cells, preparing his body to receive Hayes' bone marrow. "If something had happened and he didn't get my bone marrow in time, he would have died. Knowing that was really stressful for me," Hayes said. "But luckily, God answered our prayers." On Thursday, Aug. 22, Hayes and his wife headed to UAB Hospital where he had outpatient surgery the following morning. During the hourlong procedure, Hayes was sedated while a doctor used two needles to extract liquid marrow from his tailbone. It will take four to six weeks for Hayes' marrow to replace itself. "The doctor said my bones were 'overflowing' with marrow. That meant they were able to get extra bone marrow in case the boy needed it," Hayes said. "For me, that was a reaffirming God thing." Hayes said he experienced relatively little pain. After getting his wound checked the next day, Hayes stopped at the Alabama Power booth at the Dragon Boat Festival in Montgomery and was back at work the next Monday. Hayes recorded his experiences in a journal, which he hopes to share with the boy. Be The Match Foundation will notify Hayes of the boy's progress about a month after the transplant. It takes up to a year to determine if a bone marrow transplant has worked. After that time, the boy can decide if he wants to meet Hayes. Be The Match Foundation representatives remained by Hayes' side every step along the way, providing information, answering questions, setting up doctor appointments and covering the cost of lodging, meals and mileage for surgery. "This was one of the neatest opportunities in life because I was able to be a blessing to somebody else. I knew this was what God wanted me to do and had a lot of confidence that he would bless the whole process," Hayes said. "I will always have a lifelong bond with this kid." By Carla Davis Hayes prepares to undergo bone marrow transplant, awaits surgery with UAB Hospital nurse Amy Valdmanis. 3

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