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Deer Park girl’s cancer survival inspires new Washington state law

A 10-year-old girl wants you to help save a cancer patient's life. How the girl and her grandmother helped put a new law on the state's books.
The survival story of Spokane-area 10-year-old Jada Bascom is expected to raise awareness about bone marrow donations, under a bill signed into law by Washington Governor Jay Inslee Thursday. (Photo: KING)

The survival story of a Deer Park 10-year-old girl is expected to raise awareness about bone marrow donations, under a bill signed into law by Washington Governor Jay Inslee Thursday.

Within hours of her birth in 2007, Jada Bascom received her first blood transfusion.

A month later she was diagnosed with leukemia and started chemotherapy.

“The doctor said to my daughter and son-in-law, 'They’re not working, and without a bone marrow transplant she will not survive,’” said Jada’s grandmother Jeana Moore.

After failing to find a match in the U.S., the family looked for donors in Europe.

They found one, thanks to a stranger in Germany who had registered with the European bone marrow registry.

Jada received the transplant at seven months and is now cancer-free.

“Every child is a miracle,” said Moore. “We call Jada our double-miracle. We want that double-miracle for all our patients looking for a bone marrow transplant.”

Moore walked across the country telling Jada’s story, trying to raise awareness before looking to Olympia for a way the state could help in 2010.

Eight years later, after Moore told her granddaughter’s story to state House and Senate members, they unanimously passed a bill requiring the state include a flyer on bone marrow donations in driver’s license renewal notices.

More than a million people a year will learn how to register themselves as potential donors.

“We’re curing blood cancer, join us” will be the flyer's likely message, according to Tori Fairhurst from the National Marrow Donor Program.

Fairhurst and Moore said getting more people to register will save lives.

Get more information on the National Marrow Donor Program.

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