Solid match - Warren Cooper didn’t think twice about being his brother’s bone marrow donor

When his little brother, Warren, was a freshman in college, David Cooper, helped him find his way around campus and get his books at the bookstore.

They lived in different apartments in the same apartment complex, so each could have his independence, but David kept tabs on him.

“He always tried to look after me,” Warren said. “He was the big brother and made sure that I did this or that. He tried to keep me out of trouble.”

After college, life took the brothers to separate towns. David and his wife, Donna, live in Clarksville, Tenn., with their two children. And Warren lives with his wife, Sandra, and 4-year-old son, Dalton, in Mooresboro.

No doubt about the match
But when David was diagnosed in January with acute leukemia, Warren didn’t think twice about being a bone marrow donor for his brother.

“I never considered doing anything different. I prayed, but I never doubted that I would be a match,” Warren said.

The numbers were against him — the chances that a sibling will be a match are between 20 to 25 percent. However, Warren surprised doctors by not only being a match, but a 10 out of 10 match — the closest you can get.

“That’s a miracle of God,” Warren said.

David and Warren’s mother, Joy Cooper Williams, said she’s scared about the upcoming transplant but she’s also holding onto her faith.

“We have been praying from the first day and God has answered our prayers,” she said. “We are praying for a full recovery and a minimum of side effects.”

A new birthday
The transplant will take place July 2-3 at Vanderbilt University Hospital in Nashville, Tenn. Warren’s wife and son, his mom and his dad, Don Cooper, are going to be there for the transplant. Williams said the hospital is one of the best in treating David’s type of cancer. She participated in a caregivers class last week and learned what she can expect before and after the transplant.

David will go in the hospital on June 28 to prepare for the transplant. He will be given intense chemotherapy and radiation treatments that will kill all of his bone marrow. At the same time, Warren will begin taking shots that will make his body produce stem cells. On July 2, the stem cells will be harvested in a manner that is similar to donating blood. The blood is pumped out, goes through a machine and then is put back into the bloodstream. The new stem cells will be given to David on July 3.

“July 3 is his new birthday. It will take about two years for a full recovery,” Williams said.

Family’s faith important
She said that David’s prognosis is good, because they discovered the leukemia early. They found it in January and he’s been in remission since March.
“I have more faith than I’ve ever had,” she said.

She grew up in a Christian home with a mother who believed in prayer.

“My mother’s influence and my family’s influence was so important,” Williams said. “You never know what your children will face and they have to have something to lean on.”

Warren, who serves as a deacon at Sandy Run Baptist Church in Mooresboro, said the support and prayers of his church family have helped his family face this difficult and scary time.

“I’m blessed to have the network of friends that I have,” he said. “Everybody has been so supportive of our family.”

Praying for others and celebrating life
But he also wants people to realize that they are not the only ones who need prayer.

“At Vanderbilt, there is a whole room of people who are fighting leukemia,” he said. “We don’t have the toughest battle.”

He also said the experience has made him think more about the time he spends with his family.

“You look around and notice the little things,” he said.
“If you haven’t talked to somebody in a while pick up the phone and call them, because you never know. If Dalton wants to swim a little longer, we swim a little longer. If he wants to play ball a little longer we play ball.”

If you’d like to send a message of encouragement to the family, e-mail joyetc@bellsouth.net.

(In the photo above, David is on the left.)

If you have a story to share about how someone has brightened your day, post your comments on the Random Acts of Kindness blog at shelbystar.com under “Staff Blogs” or e-mail jackiebridges@shelbystar.com or call 704-669-3337.

More photos from Connie and Steve Willis' garden in Fallston

FALLSTON — For 21 years, Connie Willis and her daughter, Erin, were inseparable. Erin had cerebral palsy and Connie kept her close.
“We went everywhere together,” Connie said. “I never left her with anyone. I miss her a lot.” When Erin died on May 17, 2005, the neighbors wanted a way to honor Erin’s memory and help Connie and her husband, Steve, deal with the loss of their daughter. The idea was a memory garden, and Evelyn Horldt, who lives across the street, collected the money.
“We wanted to do something that they could look back on,” Horldt said. “We collected $320 and gave it to them and let them purchase what they wanted. I can enjoy it by being across the street. They keep it lit at night. It’s a constant reminder that Erin’s spirit is still here.”
Here are more photos from the garden made by Star photographer Jeff Melton:

A very special bond --Students support teacher battling cancer

From the moment Jenny Bridges shared the news of her cancer diagnosis with co-workers at Springmore Elementary School, she has received constant encouragement and support.

“I found the place right after spring break, toward the end of March,” said Bridges, a third-grade teacher.Her first chemotherapy treatment was 3½ weeks later.

After she shared the diagnosis, a fifth-grade teacher, Nicole Albright, made a bracelet for her, which was a gift from the third-grade and fifth-grade teachers.

“Jenny liked it and wore it and everybody on the grade level wanted one, her family wanted one, everybody started asking for one,” Albright said.

Because the bracelets were so popular, the third- and fifth-grade teachers decided to sell them to raise money for Bridges’ medical expenses.“We love her,” Lydia Sewell, a third grade-teacher said.

“We’re a team. We’re a family. She’s our heartbeat. We’ve been friends for a long time, since the beginning of Springmore, and there’s a special bond between the third-grade and fifth-grade.”

Holly Glover handled orders and getting supplies to make the bracelets. In the eight weeks since Bridges received her diagnosis, they have made more than 400 bracelets and raised more than $8,500. They’ve also had other fundraisers, but the majority of donations have come through the bracelets, which were sold for $20 each until they were sold out.

The boys have even shown support for their teacher by wearing pink T-shirts.

“I do it to support Mrs. Bridges, so she can feel better,” said Riley Thompson, 9. “She’s a good teacher.”

The teachers presented the money to Jenny and her husband, John, at a surprise party May 31.

She had no idea how much money had been raised.

“The support and love that has been shown through this family has been unbelievable,” Bridges said. “It’s cards, e-mails, prayers and gifts. I don’t even have the burden. Everybody else is carrying it for me.”

More photos from Jenny Bridges at Springmore

In the eight weeks since Jenny Bridges received a diagnosis of breast cancer, her co-workers have made more than 400 bracelets and raised more than $8,500. They presented her a check at a surprise party.

Springmore teachers“Girls Gone Wild for the Jenny Bracelets” These teachers helped raise more than $8,500 for fellow teacher Jenny Bridges, who is battling breast cancer: Holly GloverLydia SewellDonna TrimbleLynne SundayLisa KindlerAllyson CampHeather MorrisonNicole AlbrightShelly JonesNatalie RogersAshley HooksMichelle HamiltonHope Binion

Springmore students have shown support for their teacher. First row, Jaida Wesson, left, and McKala Butler; second row, left to right, Nicholas Deaton, Riley Thompson, Mrs. Bridges, Jenna Bridges, and Taylor Walker

Jenny Bridges talks about the support she's received from the Springmore community.

Jenny and her children: Carson Bridges, Jenna Bridges, Colby Bridges.