76 Donors

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Top Donor

George Rizzo

$500

Theirs is a humbling story of a fight for life and self-sacrifice that has reached a point of celebration! Clara’s mother made contact with John on August 1, 2012.  One day later, Clara’s immune system was declared completely healthy!!!  The two families want desperately for Clara to make a trip from California to Cortland NY so that she and John can meet in person.  John’s donation would not have happened without the efforts of Coach Andy Talley from Villanova starting the national "Get in the Game-Save a Life" bone marrow drive which was expanded to SUNY Cortland by Coach Dan MacNeill. We are preparing for Clara to meet John at a Cortland home game in October in an effort to make public thanks to Cortland for their tremendous support of this life-saving program. Plus, John’s blood is clearly running through Clara’s veins…She LOVES football!

Due to Clara’s cumulative medical costs, this fund has been created to offset the cost of the Boyles’ cross-country trip.  We are grateful to each of you who have supported us for so long.  Thank you for your donations should you feel this is something to which you would like to contribute.

Here is the story:

Her name is Clara Violet Boyle.  She is very much alive and is a thriving 2 year old.  His name is John Paul Stephens.  He is “Clara’s John – her football player” who was 18 years old when he agreed to be her donor.

Clara was born on April 14, 2010. On May 1st, John registered as part of the "Get in the Game-Save a Life" bone marrow drive held at SUNY Cortland. Clara was only 17 days old and a seemingly healthy baby girl.

She was 4 months old when she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. The specific form of her leukemia was high risk, and a fungal infection that resulted in a brain surgery and removal of the 3rd lobe of her right lung decreased her likelihood for survival from around 65% to incalculable.

In October 2010, John was informed that he was a PERFECT match for an infant girl with Leukemia. John agreed without hesitation to be her donor.

On January 11, 2011, John underwent general anesthesia at Strong Memorial Hospital in Rochester. NY not knowing to whom or where his marrow would be going. John’s donation arrived at Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital at Stanford in Palo Alto, CA. His donation was EIGHT times the size required, and they used it all on January 12, 2011 – “Clara’s Butterfly Re-Birth Day!”

Clara was home 35 days later – a record for Packard’s Bone Marrow Transplant Unit.

John made a choice that many people don't make.  And his choice of self-sacrifice, with the expertise of Clara’s medical team, the prayers of friends, family, and complete strangers, and the love of God saved this little girl's life.

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