Photo By Staff Sgt. Quintin Gee | U.S. Army Spc. Christian Sutton gives a brief on the importance of bone marrow...... read more read more
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FORT BLISS, Texas - Bone marrow donations can save lives.
U.S. Army Spc. Christian Sutton, assigned to the 40th Brigade Engineering Battalion, 2nd Armored Brigade Combat Team, 1st Armored Division is on a personal mission to inspire Soldiers at Fort Bliss to donate bone marrow and bring awareness to the importance of bone marrow donations.
Bone marrow is the soft, fatty tissue found inside bone cavities. It produces the components of your blood that you need to survive. A bone marrow transplant takes healthy cells from a donor and puts them into the recipient’s bloodstream to help grow healthy red and white blood cells and platelets.
Sutton has seen first-hand the effects of bone marrow transplants. He has watched as family and friends battled cancer and other diseases that required bone marrow transplants, which is why he is committed to spreading the word about the need for donors.
“I remember seeing my family struggle to find bone marrow matches for so long,” Sutton said. “I try to remind my fellow Soldiers during the events, that one [bone marrow] match can save a life.”
Sutton said his leadership’s support and his advocacy efforts have made a big difference in spreading awareness about this important cause. He praised his command team for providing the resources to host several bone marrow drives within the 1st Armored Division and Fort Bliss.
To date, Sutton has attended over 120 meetings with various units across the 1st Armored Division in hopes of making bone marrow drives more widespread on Fort Bliss.
“I had a lot of support,” Sutton said. “People see the opportunity to have an impact on someone else’s life and they want to reach out and help. It’s been really motivating!”
Sutton wants his efforts to reach beyond Fort Bliss. He plans to work with leaders, churches, civic associations, and other organizations in the El Paso community to inspire more people to donate. He also aims to reach underrepresented communities and encourage minorities to donate.
According to the National Marrow Donor Program, African Americans and Hispanics are ethnic groups that are underrepresented in bone marrow registries. Patients from those communities may find it more difficult to find a match to help save lives.
Since March 2022, Sutton has organized 33 bone marrow drives at Fort Bliss, signing up over 2,200 Soldiers for the registry. Sutton worked with both the NMDP and Salute to Life, a bone marrow donor organization primarily serving members of the Department of Defense.
“Sutton is a shining example of the kind of commitment and dedication it takes to make a difference,” said Chad Balance, a senior recruiter with Salute to Life. “By organizing and spreading the word about bone marrow donations, he is helping to save lives and make a real impact in his community.”
If you're interested in becoming a donor or learning more about the process, visit the NMDP website at https://bethematch.org/ or https://www.salutetolife.org/.
| Date Taken: | 03.08.2023 |
| Date Posted: | 03.10.2023 15:22 |
| Story ID: | 440157 |
| Location: | FORT BLISS, TEXAS, US |
| Web Views: | 107 |
| Downloads: | 0 |
This work, Iron Soldier, bone marrow advocate helps spread awareness to save lives, by SGT Trevares Johnson, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
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