Willa “Reggie” Poole

 

Willa “Reggie” Poole was born and raised in Philadelphia, PA. She has one son, a grandson and a granddaughter, as well as a loyal cat named Buddy. Buddy has sensed that Reggie has been sick and can always be found right at her feet.
In the spring of 2013, at the age of 69, Reggie started getting arthritis-like symptoms. After being treated by doctors for arthritis and then lupus, her pain was still not going away. In October 2013, Reggie was finally diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).
Reggie’s medical team started looking for a bone marrow donor and were fortunate to find a match immediately – her son. After her first round of chemotherapy, Reggie was scheduled to receive a bone marrow transplant. Prior to admission, she needed to have every test imaginable performed as part of the transplant procedure. One of the required tests was a bone marrow biopsy to check the leukemia cell count. Unfortunately, Reggie still showed signs of having leukemia which caused her transplant to be postponed. This was heartbreaking for Reggie since she had prepared herself mentally and emotionally to undergo the transplant process. Drawing on her faith to remain calm and positive, she completed another round of chemotherapy and much more testing. Reggie received her transplant in July 2014 and will need to remain in the hospital for approximately four to six weeks.
In addition to the immense emotional stress placed on Reggie because of her condition, she is in great financial distress. Her health insurance will not cover the cost of the mandatory donor testing for her son. Paying her bills is practically impossible because she is surviving on social security benefits. She also needs to purchase her sister-in-law’s flight from Albuquerque to Philadelphia in order to be her caregiver, and needs funds for gas and special food during the recovery process.
For these reasons, Reggie has decided to team up with the Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation so that family and friends can make tax-deductible donations that will go towards her treatment-related expenses. Her best friend Barbara is helping to coordinate her fundraising efforts. Reggie thanks everyone for their assistance and asks that you pray for her quick and successful recovery.
Click here to contribute to Willa’s One-to-One Fund
Or you can send a check, payable to the Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation.
Be sure to include Willa’s name on the front of the check.
Send check to:
the Bone Marrow & Cancer Foundation
515 Madison Avenue, Suite 1130
New York, New York 10022