TARBORO —
Teresa Summerlin Mobley of Pinetops found her hero this week. Her double first cousin Dale Holland is her perfect bone marrow match.
“My cousin Dale is now my hero. He has given my family a second chance,” Mobley said. “I could never repay what he’s given me.”
Holland was one of more than 200 people tested for bone marrow donation eligibility as part of a drive for Mobley. The 33-year-old mother of four and cheerleading coach at SouthWest Edgecombe High School was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia on Aug. 30.
Mobley wasn’t surprised when she found out Holland, who is only eight months younger than her, is her match.
“Growing up, everybody thought we were twins. We were always together. It was the closest thing I had to a sibling,” she said. When she found out Holland was her match, Mobley wanted to take away the fear of not finding a donor from others battling leukemia.
“I changed my focus and I wanted to take that feeling away from everybody else in those shoes,” said Mobley. She said seeing so many people come out to Saturday’s bone marrow drive at SouthWest and try to make a difference was “a blessing.” Her 17-year-old daughter Tonia Summerlin, a cheerleader at SouthWest, organized the drive.
“It can save many lives. People are being heroes today,” said Lexi Rhodes, a varsity cheerleader at SouthWest.
“For folks to rally around stuff like this, it’s like mercy in motion. We’re showing mercy for those who don’t think they have a chance, but this is a chance,” said Mobley’s uncle, Randy Holland, wearing a orange T-shirt (the color of leukemia awareness) with the words, “No, leukemia, you can’t have my niece” printed on it.
Vicky Mitchell was among the people who registered to be a bone marrow donor Saturday. Her 5-year-old daughter, Harper Doughtie, has leukemia.
“It could be I’ll be helping someone else with a kid like her,” said Mitchell. She said her daughter is going through chemotherapy treatment, but is doing well.
Mobley’s mother, Betty Summerlin, said hearing people’s inspirational stories of having leukemia and now being cancer-free has given her family even more hope, not to mention the number of people who participated in the bone marrow drive.
“To see a smile on her [daughter’s] face absolutely puts a smile on my face,” Summerlin said. “It’s exciting because with this number of people, it’s got to be a donor for somebody.”
Being a match is based on tissue typing. Only one in 570 people who join the bone marrow registry receive calls for being a match, but it only takes one person to save somebody’s life, said Christian Montgomery of DKMS Americas. Joining the bone marrow registry requires only a 10-second cheek swab with a Q-tip and filling out paperwork.
“It all starts with the cheek swab and then it’s just a waiting game,” said Montgomery. “We only find matches for about 50 percent of patients. The more donors, the more lives we save.”
The chances of finding an unrelated compatible marrow donor are 1 in 20,000, according to the Musculoskeletal Transplant Foundation.
The target date for Mobley’s bone marrow transplant is December. She will have to spend three months away from home at Chapel Hill, but she is looking forward to a cancer-free future.
“It’s a huge step forward,” said Mobley. She said knowing that an entire community has been praying for her has given her the strength to face each day head-on.
“God gives his toughest battles to His strongest warriors,” she said.
To become a member of the bone marrow registry, visit www.getswabbed.org. Donors must be between the ages of 18 and 55.
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Mobley For The Daily Southerner
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Randy Holland swabbed his cheek in the hopes of becoming a bone marrow donor at a drive in the SouthWest Edgecombe High School gymnasium Saturday. Holland is the uncle of Teresa Summerlin Mobley, who has leukemia. For The Daily Southerner
Match made in Heaven; donor found for Mobley
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ECPS awaits county budget decision
In 10 days, the Edgecombe County Board of Commissioners could approve its 2013-2014 budget. Because of the proposed cuts to the Edgecombe County Public School (ECPS), there officials are likely waiting nervously for the results.
During the board's June 3 regularly scheduled meeting, officials of the ECPS made pleas during a public hearing by asking the board of commissioners to rethink the proposed budget cuts. - Firemen concerned about town's faulty fire hydrants
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ECPS awaits county budget decision
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AIB judging under way
The America in Bloom (AIB) judges are in town, and Tarboro’s AIB committee rolled out the red carpet for them, beginning with Sunday supper at the home of AIB committee member Candis Owens.
“I am really excited about these judges,” Owens said “It looks like they have been selected specifically for Tarboro, because they’re both historic preservationists.”
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AIB judging under way
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Trey Wells throws a pitch in the fifth inning Friday night for Tarboro in the 15-under game against SouthWest.
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Tarboro beats SouthWest 16-11
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Tarboro beats SouthWest 16-11
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You, too, can be a slacker spy
Think you're a loser just because you dropped out of high school and never finished the military training you began?
Think you're a dud just because you work as a security guard even though you dreamed of becoming a global savior?
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You, too, can be a slacker spy
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Whitley/Webb
Pinetops-Caitlin Layne Whitley and John Robert Webb were married on June 8, 2013 at half past three in the afternoon at Pinetops Baptist Church.
The Reverend John Melancon performed the ceremony. The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. William Michael Whitley. Grandparents of the bride are the late Mr. and Mrs. James Carlton Jernigan and the late Mr. and Mrs. Clifton Lane Whitley.
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
To the Editor:
It breaks my heart to look at the puppies and kittens at the Tarboro Animal Shelter pictured in Monday’s editions of the Daily Southerner. June is National Adopt a Shelter Pet Month, and I pray these fur babies will find a good forever home. Bucking a statewide and national trend, the kittens have a better chance of getting adopted than the puppies. Why? - JAMES CLEO JORDAN
- BARBARA ANN LINDSAY
- ROSA BELL BYNUM
- ANN D. COBB
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LETTER TO THE EDITOR
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Zesty Mexican Meals Made Fast
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- Events
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Edgecombe Events June 17
Edgecombe Events should be submitted by noon the day before publication. Items eligible include notices of local meetings and activities of non-profit organizations, clubs, schools and civic groups in the community. Information should be brief and typewritten, neatly printed or via e-mail. Questions? 823-3106 or e-mail: events@dailysoutherner.com. Leave a daytime contact phone number.
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Edgecombe Events June 17
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WALTON EARNS SCHOLARSHIP
John Ronald Walton, a 2013 graduate of Edgecombe Early College High School and son of John and Lesa Walton, is presented a $2,000 scholarship check by Edgecomber County Farm Bureau Presidet Tom Proter. Walton is enrolled at NC State University for the fall semester.
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