Tess Garrett

The bond between patients who receive platelets and those who donate them is both personal and anonymous, heartfelt and reasoned. Platelets help clot blood as they circulate through the body, and they can fall to dangerously low levels in individuals facing cancer; periodic transfusions offer protection from life-threatening bleeding. Donors and recipients typically never meet or know each other's names.

Former leukemia patient Tess Garrett of Union, N.H., however, found a way to thank those who had given her platelets - even if indirectly - at this year's annual donor recognition brunch, co-hosted by Dana-Farber's Kraft Family Blood Donor Center and Brigham and Women's Hospital. Garrett, who was eight months post-transplant when she addressed the 350 volunteers and their families in May, described how her gratitude toward her own donors had transformed into an appreciation for the sacrifice made by them all.

In 2003 alone, the Kraft Center collected more than 4,500 bags of platelets from 853 donors, including 75 who showed up for the hour-and-a-half-long procedure at least 24 times [the federal yearly maximum], some of them scheduling work and vacations around their contributions - or spending their Saturday mornings hooked up to collection machines.

The presence of several members of the Super Bowl Champion New England Patriots added to the event's festive atmosphere, but the most moving moment, unquestionably, was Garrett's address. What follows are excerpts from the speech she wrote and practiced, but wound up improvising when she reached the podium and, as she puts it, "my heart took over my brain."

My name is Tess Garrett, and I am in remission from acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). When I received a call from the Kraft Center asking me to speak at this celebration, I accepted with little hesitation - but for a very selfish reason. I believed to my core that my donors would be sitting in this room, and I needed you to know that I think of you often. Thoughts of you start in my heart and run through every fiber of my being. I wanted you to hear my voice and feel the warmth of my tears. Without you, my story would have ended long ago.

It was Feb. 4, 2003, when I literally crawled into the doctor's office. By day's end, I was advised to call an ambulance and get to the hospital because, I was told, "Your life is in jeopardy. You have leukemia." That day marked the beginning of my journey and experience with cancer.

I learned that I had a hostile disease that needed to be fought aggressively. I was to have two rounds of high-dose chemotherapy, anticipating remission between each round. If all went well, I would then receive more chemo and an autogolous stem cell transplant [using Garrett's own stem cells that would be removed and then re-infused]. With stable health and a continuous remission, I would make a one-year commitment to a clinical trial to test the safety and effectiveness of a vaccine for AML patients. My thought was that if there is hope of reducing relapse or finding a cure, put me on that train!

I had a jagged first round of chemo. Several days after completing it, I developed a very bad headache, and my urine was scarlet red. Although I was receiving blood and platelets, they were not helping because my body was destroying them as fast as they could be poured into me. I quickly turned into a "worst-case scenario"; all my counts were dangerously low. An operation had to be done to relieve the pressure on my brain, and I needed many transfusions. The risk of infection was high, but without platelets matching my own platelets' HLA [human leukocyte antigen] type, my bigger risk was from hemorrhaging.

The Kraft Center searched its data bank, and Dr. Nancy Lin - my constant among many physicians - called in my family to test their platelets. My oldest brother, Gary, was a match, but the Kraft Center needed time to process his platelets before I could receive them. We turned to the pool of community donors and found a close match, but it was not close enough. My body wouldn't accept these platelets and went to work destroying the intruders, along with some of my allies. This set me back into a serious state. It went on for several days until, by the grace of God, a random donor matched well enough to stabilize me until my brother's platelets could be used - and I could begin my recovery.

During this ordeal, Kraft Center staff worked with my doctors to keep a close eye on my counts while trying not to deplete my donors' supply. These volunteers came in frequently during this ordeal and made plans to donate and vacation around my upcoming treatments. Giving platelets is not a simple process; it involves sitting still for 90 minutes while your blood is removed from one arm, run through a cell-separating machine to collect a portion of platelets, then returned to your body through your other arm. I am tremendously grateful for such commitment. You were my lifeline.

We all had a few months off to recover, and round two of my treatment went smoothly in comparison to the first. My donors just kept banking priceless platelets until I could hold my own. I often watched these bags of cells drain into my body, knowing that someone out there was saving my life. I wanted to tell them how grateful I was. Tears still fill my eyes when I think of you and your dedication to a stranger.

Round three involved pre-transplant chemotherapy to eradicate my bone marrow and jump-start it with healthy cells. Dr. Lin and Lou Goldberg from the Kraft Center thought we had all our ducks in a row until we discovered that my brother couldn't give because of a virus he'd been exposed to. My counts were dropping, and my two donors were approaching their limit, so we had to dip back into the random pool until we found another match! We weren't sure how my immune system would respond. Fear took over my soul.

So, back we went, and the first draw was a match for my HLA type. I clearly remember that day. I was in my room at Brigham and Women's waiting for my counts, a daily ritual that gave me hope of going home when they were climbing - and filled me with panic when they fell. Tapping the pool of community donors was a scary time, to say the least, but those three saw me through the post-transplant transfusions until I was self-reliant enough to produce my own blood. My loyal donors got me out of another one.

I believe people are put in our path for a reason, and my truly committed donors were sent to give me a second chance. Whoever you are, I pray you are here to see the tears of gratitude I shed. Drs. Lin and Daniel DeAngelo [both of Dana-Farber], you are my heroes. You walked me through my darkest hours and into the light. Without you - my donors and hundreds of other staff members - today would not be happening. You are my dream team!