Donor KATELYN THOMPSON & Recipient CHRIS CARTER

October 23, 2015

Katelyn Thompson signed up for the Be The Match Registry in the spring of 2014, at Because I Care’s table at a TSTC Health Fair in Marshall, TX. At the time she was a phlebotomist at Carter BloodCare. The following year Katelyn learned she was a potential match for a patient. She said she was “in shock, nervous and excited at the same time.” She was the best match for the patient and donated on October 13-14, in Mesquite, Texas when she was 20 years old.

When Katelyn learned that BIC would bring her and her recipient, Chris Carter, together at their annual banquet, Katelyn said, “I was ecstatic!” That weekend the two ladies had an opportunity to get to know one another. Katelyn related, “I’m so thankful that I got to be a small factor that helped keep her on this earth longer.”

Chris Carter, of St. Louis, MO, learned in 2014, that she had acute myelogenous leukemia (AML) and needed a life-saving stem cell transplant. She said, “I was excited and relieved when I found out I had a donor.” Chris was 50 years old at the time of transplant. The following year when BIC offered her the chance to meet her donor, Chris said it “was like the miracle of them finding a perfect donor all over again!” Upon meeting Katelyn, Chris said, “I think she is one of the kindest and most giving and bravest people I know and I am so grateful that she was willing to give so much of herself to help a stranger. I thank God every day that she has come into my life because she cared enough to give me a chance to continue mine.”