Toddler loses fight to leukemia
Ten colorful balloons floated gracefully towards the swaying pine tops that leaned against a clear August sky Monday at the Garden of Prayer Cemetery in Mount Pleasant. Below, a small group of mourners had joined Mr. and Mrs. Governor Simmons Jr. in celebrating the brief life of their son, De'Andre Jamal Simmons. In a final tribute, they had released the balloons as if to release the sorrow and the pain in the loss of one of their own. “DJ” was the two-year old leukemia victim featured in the Aug. 6 issue of The Catalyst. He lost his fight with the chronic disease on Aug. 26. “Hope was the only thing everyone held onto,” said Jacquetta Jones, community educator and coordinator for MUSC's Program to Increase Donor Availability for African Americans. “Everyone thought that things would be fine for DJ.” But everything was not fine. After spending the last eight weeks in and out of the hospital, DJ's only chance at life was to match successfully with a bone marrow donor. Jones scrambled to promote the child's situation by organizing two bone marrow drives on his behalf. “God answers prayers at his appointed time, not ours,” said Rev. Alfred Jefferson delivering his eulogy for the young boy. “God has lent DJ to us and has easily called him back according to his time.” Although DJ lost his life in the end, about 146 new minority donors have joined the National Marrow Donor Program registry, giving other patients a hope for life. The loss hits especially hard for Jones, whose own family resides near some of DJ's family members. “His loss is very personal, affecting down to the roots of our community.” Jones now focuses her efforts in helping two other leukemia victims in Charleston and Florence. Nineteen-year-old Keon Cooper is currently recovering from a successful bone marrow transplant. He was able to match with a donor from the registry in mid-August. Meanwhile, leukemia patient Elaine Frayer awaits a stem cell transplant or bone marrow match in Charleston. “At a time like this, you have to grab onto the positive. Right now, these two kids are my positive,” Jones said. |