Searching for a bone marrow match

31-year-old Carl Prewitt wants to be around to see his almost four-year-old daughters, McKenzie, Madison and Morgan grow up, but he is going to need the help of a special person to make that happen.
In 1997, Prewitt was diagnosed with a bone marrow disorder called myelodysplasia, which will eventually turn into a form of leukemia. Treatments he received seven years ago put the disease into remission until recently.
“They ran me through some therapy in 1997 that boosted my immune system, and I kind of stabled out seven years ago. It has just progressed, and gotten worse,” Prewitt said. “It is a bone marrow disorder that eventually will turn into a type of leukemia. It is like a pre-stage of that. When I was first diagnosed with it, it was 10 percent bad, three weeks ago it went up to 90 percent.
“Over a seven year span, it progressed and got worse. They told me it would happen. It would just be a matter of time. They kept me healthy for as long as they could on the therapy. I wish it had been later, but it is sooner, and now it is here. We have to deal with it. Now the only cure for it is a bone marrow transplant.”
Prewitt’s only hope is a bone marrow transplant. His best chance for finding a match would be with family members, but all his immediate family, who were tested during a bone marrow testing drive in 1998 proved to be no match.
Prewitt is hoping that someone he probably never met is a nearly perfect genetic bone marrow match.
Prewitt is hoping a match will be found for himself or another needy bone marrow recipient during a bone marrow testing and blood drive scheduled for Saturday from 10 a.m. – 6 p.m. at the Williamsburg Tourism and Convention Center.
“I was talking to Darren Bryant a couple of weeks ago. He was tested during the first blood and bone marrow drive in 1997. He said he got to go to Lexington and be a stem cell donor for somebody. That shows that one of the blood drives we had down here actually helped somebody,” Prewitt said. “I would love to find a match for me.”
During the drive, there will be door prizes, free food, and a gospel music singing in addition to a youth funfest that will be going on at the same time.
“If you bring them, they can play while you donate blood, or whatever. I’d rather it be a fun time, than a bad time. We are trying to stay positive with it.” Prewitt said.
Dan Dickson, a spokesperson with the Central Kentucky Blood Center, said the bone marrow testing is a simple process.
When someone goes to donate blood, a separate small vial of blood is drawn for examination, and the results are placed in a national registry in hopes that the donor’s marrow will match someone.
“We are really hoping somebody out there will be a match. They could be a match for Carl or anybody else in the country on the waiting list looking for a match,” Dickson added.
The requirements to be a donor are simple. The donor must be at least 17 years old, weigh 110 pounds or more, and be in general good health. A picture ID is now required of all donors.
Prewitt said that doctors haven’t had much luck finding a good match so far.
When Prewitt was first diagnosed, doctors found a woman, who was a 40 percent match.
“Doctors really didn’t like the odds with a 40 percent match. They would like for that percentage to be a little better, which is pretty much what we are doing now, trying to find a better match,” he added. “40 percent is pretty good, but they would like to find somebody, who is a 60 or 70 percent match.”
When Prewitt’s family members conducted a bone marrow drive in 1998, all of Prewitt’s family members were tested except for three first cousins. The cousins were under 18, and couldn’t be tested unless they were immediate family members.
If a better match isn’t found, Prewitt’s triplet daughters will be tested, but Prewitt said he would prefer to avoid this if possible.
“I want that to be a last resort, but if it comes down to it, we are going to have the girls tested. I really don’t want to put them through it, but if it can save their daddy’s life.”
When a transplant is done, it will take place in Nashville, Tenn., at the V.A. Medical Center on Vanderbilt’s campus.
Currently there is no immediate life threatening danger for Prewitt, except that he doesn’t have an immune system, which means his body can’t fight off any type of infection.
Prewitt said he is humbled by the efforts everyone in Williamsburg put into the last drive, and the one coming up Saturday.
“It shows this small town that has a lot of people who care. It is not just my family, who is working on this. I think the mayor’s sister, Kelly Harrison, is involved. A friend of the family, Mary Ann Hughes, is involved. Everybody is just donating their time,” Prewitt said. “We have not had to spend any money. All the local businesses have come together. They have donated some to us, and it is really appreciated. It is good to see a small town pull together like this. I’d that say probably 70 percent of the county is already on the registry from a few years ago. Don’t look at it as a life-threatening thing. Just come down Saturday, and enjoy yourself, and have fun. You may save somebody’s life.”
Prewitt’s wife is Holly Moses Prewitt. His parents are Sue Cornelius and Glennis and Gerri Prewitt. His in-laws are Linda Moses and Rev. Mike Moses.