Gibsonia native advocates for bone marrow donations

Many Slippery Rock University students have interesting life experiences encountering both adversity and advocacy. One such example is Madalyn Mote, a junior early childhood education major from Gibsonia.

In 2016, Mote’s younger brother, Nicholas, was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a disease in which the body fails to produce blood cells, and he was in need of bone marrow. His sister responded.

“I was always in transplant mode during that time,” Madalyn said. “I had a 25% chance of being a match for my brother, and it was always in the back of my mind.”

For people with blood-related diseases, transplants are the best chance for recovery. Only one in four patients, though, has a fully matched donor within his or her family.

After many tests and blood withdrawals, which was the most nerve-wracking part for Madalyn, she was found to be a perfect match for Nicholas. As a donor, Madalyn underwent surgery to remove marrow from her body, which was promptly transferred to her brother.

“He was getting my marrow before I was even fully awake. It was a quick outpatient surgery for me. I only had to take a couple ibuprofen,” she said about her recuperation.

Since then, her brother, who plans to enroll at Slippery Rock next fall, has made a full recovery, and Madalyn has begun advocating for Be the Match, with hopes to foster more success stories like her own. Be the Match, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program, is a marrow registry that connects patients with donation matches.

During the fall 2021 semester, Madalyn organized a Be the Match drive through the SRU Honors College, enlisting around 50 people to sign up for the registry. She anticipates hosting another drive in the coming fall because she is passionate about the cause.

“My story is not the same as everyone else’s,” she said. “Mine may seem scary, but this is not the case for everyone. Bone marrow recreates itself. We have plenty to give, and there is such a great need for it.”

For more information or to sign up for the registry, visit bethematch.org.