The search for Jimby’s perfect match has been going on for months now.  Jimby and his family have expressed amazement and thankfulness at the number of people who have come forward to help out – most of them total strangers! More than two thousand people on both US coasts have offered their “two-teaspoonfuls” in the hope of saving a life.

On January 12, 2001, one such hope was kindled.   We have asked and received permission to publish this lady’s story on the condition that she remain anonymous, so we shall strive to keep her identity to ourselves.

At the combined fund-raiser / bone marrow donor drive tagged as “Miracle For Jimby Dinner / Dance”, a young mother heard the plea for donors first-hand from Jimby’s children Jeep, Jazz and Jion. They reminded her so much of her own kids that she just had to respond to the plea.   She and a group of friends had their blood drawn for an initial tissue typing to determine compatibility with Jimby.  A couple of months later, she came home to find a message on her answering machine from the Cammy Lee Leukemia Foundation.  Although Jimby did not match her tissue type, CLLF had found another person who did – a five-year-old girl!

In this brave lady’s own words: “The first time I got the call, I got goose bumps. Especially when they mentioned that it was for a 5-year old girl. For me, it was like winning something, because to me it is an opportunity to save a life, and that is why I went for it. The fact too that I have kids, made me stronger to go for it. Yes, I did feel some fear too that I will be taking risks, but hey, this is God’s way of telling me something. “

She has undergone the second stage of testing for tissue compatibility or what is called “high-resolution testing”.  It will take another 30-60 days to find out if it’s still a match. In the meantime, the hope remains alive…