“I don’t feel like I’m repaying a debt,” explained Jimmy Quimby, telecommunications manager for The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston. “I guess more than anything I just feel the need to do something to give back, whether it’s donating platelets, blood or whatever the case may be.”

On March 27, 2008, Quimby had the opportunity to give back by donating bone marrow to a 21-year-old male with Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, a cancer of the immune system.     

Quimby registered to be a bone marrow donor after his son, Joshua, underwent a stem cell transplant at 27 months old. Joshua was diagnosed at 3 weeks old with chronic idiopathic thrombocytopenia purpura (ITP), a bleeding disorder caused by an abnormally low number of platelets.

“My wife was feeding him one night and then it was my job to burp him,” said Quimby. “The next morning he woke up and my hand print was a bruise on his back.” Joshua spent the next week in the hospital while doctors searched for a diagnosis.

Joshua’s condition required him to receive a stem cell transplant; luckily, his older brother, Christopher, and older sister, Elizabeth were both perfect matches. The doctors chose to use Christopher as the donor.

The night before the bone marrow harvest, Christopher told his dad goodbye. Quimby realized Christopher misunderstood the procedure and thought he was going to die.   

“Christopher thought that by doing what he was going to do it was going to kill him and he was still willing to do it for his younger brother,” said Quimby. “Now, as far as Josh and his brother go, I really don’t know if the two of them realize what kind of bond they have.”
  
Joshua’s transplant was a success and he’s been healthy ever since. Now 11, he’s a perfectly healthy, normal kid.  

“After the transplant, he was home in 10 days and he hasn’t spent another night in the hospital since,” said Quimby. “He does karate, plays basketball and is just a typical 11-year-old boy.”

Quimby’s personal experience motivates him to give back in any way possible. He donates blood and platelets as many times a year as the blood bank will allow. Now he is donating bone marrow to a patient in urgent need of a transplant. 

The National Marrow Donor Program identified Quimby as a perfect match for the 21-year-old male patient, by matching six human leukocyte antigens (HLA). This very close HLA match increases the chance of a successful transplant.     

“When they called me and asked if I was still willing to donate, I literally felt like I was floating for the rest of the day,” said Quimby. “I was so excited that I was finally going to get the opportunity to help someone in the same way my son helped Josh.”

To prepare for the donation, Quimby received a physical and information regarding the procedure. According to his doctors, the bone marrow harvest would take approximately two hours and Quimby would require a few days of recuperation afterward. 

The UT Health Science Center’s Handbook of Operational Procedures (HOOP) allows employees to participate in and take time off to recover from bone marrow harvests. According to HOOP Policy 2.39C, “An employee is eligible for up to 5 days of administrative leave per fiscal year to serve as a bone marrow donor.”

“The university has been very generous, which is a wonderful thing,” said Quimby. “Everybody is excited for me because they know it’s an opportunity for me to do something I really want to do, which is to give back.”

Quimby believes more people need to “do something” to help others such as donating blood, platelets or signing up to be a bone marrow donor. He accepts that he may never know the outcome of the procedure or the identity of the recipient, but he’s comforted by the fact that he’s doing what he can to help. 

“Since I’ve been through this personally in my life, I have always felt that I wanted the opportunity to do something for someone else,” said Quimby. “My only hope is that it turns out as good for this person as it did for Josh.”

—Kelly Neely, Institutional Advancement

Date Posted: 04/15/2008