Ailing College Student Brings

‘Be The Match’ To Cooperstown 

COOPERSTOWN – Stephanie Talaia-Murray was diagnosed with leukemia in the fall of last year. The 21-year-old geology major at Hamilton College was stunned by the news from her doctor at Bassett Hospital.

“I had some facial lesions that prompted me to make an appointment to get checked out,” recalls Talaia-Murray.  “It was during my treatment for the skin problem that a blood test showed my white blood cell count was quite low. However, I never expected a leukemia diagnosis. There’s no family history and I felt fine.”

Every four minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer like leukemia. Most patients need a marrow or stem cell transplant to survive. That’s how Stephanie and her family learned about the “Be The Match” Registry, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program, which provides doctors with access to nearly 24.5 million possible donors.