Jada’s Story
Jada Bascom was born on April 16, 2007 at Holy Family Hospital in Spokane, WA. Two hours after her birth a nurse came in and swept Jada away. The family later learned that a nurse noticed small red dots on Jada’s skin, a sign that her blood was not clotting. This nurse was the first in a long line of people who were responsible for saving our Jada’s life. Jada had hundreds of blood transfusions, an amazing medical team at Sacred Heart Children’s Hospital, Seattle Children’s Hospital and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Difibrotide sent on a compassionate use basis from a pharmaceutical company in Italy, prayers from people of a myriad of faiths…and a bone marrow donor, Torsten Huber, from Germany.
Jada’s illness turned her family's lives upside down. Her mother had expected to spend time at home with the new baby and then return to work after 6 weeks. Instead, Jada’s family moved in with her grandmother. The family pulled together, everyone taking shifts at the hospital to be sure there was someone with Jada 24 hours a day 7 days a week. Family, friends, co-worker’s, our small community of Deer Park, churches, Zen centers, cancer organizations all stepped forward to help with the fundraising necessary to keep our family going.
On March 7, 2008, Jada came home from Seattle in remission 5 months after her bone marrow transplant, however her battle with leukemia was not over. Her body was now trying to integrate with the donor cells and vice versa. She had several bouts with graft vs host disease. In February of 2009, the doctors again began slowly to decrease the drugs suppressing Jada’s immune system. After an 18 month battle with graft vs host disease, Jada's body finally integrated Torsten's cells as part of her own. Jada is 4 years old now. She attends the Montana Zoo Preschool, which is a perfect fit because she has always had a love for animals. She is articulate, computer literate and beginning to learn her alphabet and numbers. Jada is strong, fiesty and full of life.
In order to express our gratitude to the innumerable people it took to save Jada’s life and to support our family through this crisis we began the Jada Bascom Foundation. In 2009 the Jada Bascom Foundation sponsored the first Steps-To-Marrow project, in which Jada's grandmother, Jeana Moore, walked 4,434 miles across America to raise awareness around the need for bone marrow donors and to recruit potential bone marrow donors for the National Bone Marrow Registry, Be The Match. When Jeana arrived in New York City on January 27, 2011, Jada and her parents were there, and to the joy of the entire family, so was Torsten Huber! Jada was able to meet her donor for the first time.
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The Jada Bascom Foundation's Story
Jeana Moore is the Founder of the Jada Bascom Foundation and the walking representative of the Steps To-Marrow program. Jeana has a deep commitment to helping others find their bone marrow match and serving individuals with cancer and their families. Jeana had the good fortune of working for 6 years with the Peacemaker Community, connecting, training and empowering peacemakers worldwide. She worked with people of diverse cultures, faiths and socioeconomic backgrounds using methodologies including; non-violent communication, council and sociocracy. The Peacemaker community brings people to experience the interconnectedness of all life. In everyday living, bone marrow donors and their recipients manifest this interconnectedness.
Jeana would love to hear from you while on her journey..... 509-276-9663
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Ramona Lyddon, RN BSN, is an end-of-life consultant, having worked the past thirty years in hospice care. Her passion is helping individuals find the resources from within themselves and from their community to not only cope with live changing events, but to learn from them and then, to heal and grow because of them.
Ramona accompanied Jeana Moore on her walk from Los Angeles to Phoenix and saw first hand how the Steps To Marrow program is raising awareness of the need for marrow donors. As President, Ramona is using her knowledge of non-profit organizations to guide The Jada Bascom Foundation into fulfilling their vision and mission. She lives in Phoenix near her family of three daughters, two sons-in-law and five grandchildren, her pride and joy.
Anna Quincy is Secretary of the Board of Directors of the Jada Bascom Foundation. She has worked in the field of cancer nursing for 36 years, and presently is the Support Services Coordinator for Providence Regional Cancer Center in Spokane, Washington. She served as a volunteer with the American Cancer Society to bring the cancer education program I Can Cope to Eastern Washington, and taught the course over many years helping people find ways to deal with cancer and treatment side effects.
Anna lives in Spokane with her husband Keith. They have two children, and one grandchild. Jada Bascom is their great niece, and a delight to have come visit the family ranch. Support of the Foundation is a family commitment since we have all witnessed the miracle of life through bone marrow transplant.
Brian Burgess is an Accounting graduate from Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo, CA. After completing his undergraduate degree, he continued at Cal Poly to get his Masters in Taxation. While working on his masters, Jeana Moore walked through San Luis Obispo on her way to Los Angeles from Seattle. Brian and his girlfriend Julie Fallon hosted her. Brian was inspired by what an amazing person Jeana is and when she asked him if he was interested in being the Treasurer for the Jada Bascom Foundation, he said that he was happy to help the cause.
In addition to working with the Jada Bascom Foundation, Brian is currently working on passing his CPA exam. He is also employed part time at Visual Purple helping their Accounting department. In his spare time, Brian likes to play strategy games, socialize with good friends and organize events. One such event was the Uniquely U bone marrow drive where he and Julie recruited almost 50 of these good friends to join the bone marrow registry.
Rick Castello is a Product Manager in the tech industry by day, and an active fighter against blood cancers at night, volunteering as a Team Captain with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society's Team In Training marathon program. To date, he has run two half-marathons with TNT, and is planning at least one more this year. He is doing his part to spread the word about the desperate need for blood marrow donors.
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The Jada Bascom Foundation
(a non-profit organization)
Meet some of the people who work for the NMDP (National Marrow Donor Program)
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Board of Directors
Friends of the Board
MISSION:
1) to increase awareness regarding the great need for bone marrow donors
2) to recruit bone marrow donors
3) to support potential donors with the cost of tissue typing
VISION:
All those needing bone marrow transplants will have access to matched donors from bone marrow registires world wide.
