UMatters

Mel Tyler, UMKC Vice Chancellor for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, was diagnosed with stage 3 multiple myeloma in April 2009.  Multiple myeloma is a cancer of the plasma cells, a type of white blood cell present in bone marrow.

Mel has undergone two stem cell transplants (using his own stem cells) and many rounds of chemotherapy in an effort to put the cancer in remission. His physicians have indicated he will likely need a donor stem cell transplant in the future and at the present time there is no match for him in the national registry.

Please consider being a donor.

Plasma cells affected by the multiple myeloma normally make proteins called antibodies to help fight infections. In multiple myeloma, a group of abnormal plasma cells (myeloma cells) multiplies, raising the number of plasma cells to a higher than normal level. Since these cells normally make proteins, the level of abnormal proteins in the blood also may go up. Health problems caused by multiple myeloma can affect the bones, immune system, kidneys and red blood cell count.

The National Marrow Donor Program indicates that because tissue types are inherited, patients are most likely to match someone of their own race or ethnicity.  Registry members from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds are especially needed so every patient has a second chance at life.  Mel was told that because he is African American, there is about a 15% chance that he will find a match.  Registry members of these backgrounds are urgently needed:

• Black or African American
• American Indian
• Asian, including South Asian
• Native Hawaiian or other Pacific Islander
• Hispanic or Latino
• Multiple races

Joining the registry is as simple as getting a cheek swab to see if you may be a match.  UMKC will be hosting two upcoming “cheek swab clinics”:

• Friday, April 23, 2010 (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.) at the UMKC School of Dentistry, Room 434
• Tuesday, April 27, 2010 (10 a.m. – 2 p.m.) in the University Center, Room 106

Mel has spent his entire professional career in education, serving in various roles coaching and assisting students at both the secondary and post-secondary level.  He started his career at Central High School in St. Joseph before joining Missouri Western State University where he served as the Assistant Dean of Students, Assistant Basketball Coach and Assistant Director of Admissions.  He’s been at UMKC since 1994.

Please consider joining the registry or making a donation in Mel’s name.  Also please consider forwarding this UMatters article to your friends or colleagues. 

Another member of UMKC’s community who needs a donor match is Cameron Benjamin, the six-year-old son of Keith Benjamin, Professor of Trumpet in UMKC’s Conservatory of Music and Dance. In late November 2009, Cameron was diagnosed with JMML (Juvenile Myelomonocytic Leukemia), a rare form of leukemia with the only treatment option being a Bone Marrow Transplant.  He was admitted to Children’s Mercy Hospital in Kansas City on February 23, 2010 and received an infusion of umbilical cord stem cells on March 4th.  Due to graft failure, he received a second transplant using bone marrow from a 35-year-old male donor on April 9th. Please consider joining the registry for Cameron.

Regarding the match drive for Mel, contact Jennifer DeHaemers if you have any questions: 816.235.1143 DehaemersJ@umkc.edu. For information about Cameron and “Friends of Cameron B,” please contact Carol Dale: 816.235.2731 DaleV@umkc.edu.