D'Marco Jackson - Fighting the Odds

https://www.gofundme.com/teamdmarco4life

On April 19th, D'Marco "DMac" Armani Jackson, 19, Of Richmond, went to be with the Lord after a hard-fought and courageous battle following complications from multiple bone-marrow transplants. D'Marco recently graduated from Hermitage High School and had a magnetic persalityand free and charismatic spirit that were infectious to all that were around him. HE WAS JUST THAT DUDE!!!

D'Marco's Story:
D’Marco was 16 when he received his diagnosis of Severe Aplastic Anemia.After months of blood transfusions and several rounds of chemotherapy, his chronic disease fell into remission for a short time. It allowed him to live a normal life, excluding football. He became Student Council Vice President, Homecoming King, Pep Rally Emcee, and a senior graduate speaker. Severe Aplastic Anemia stood dormant enough to give him hope that he could apply to college, and to the surprise of no one, was accepted at all 7 that he applied to. Just as his future was beginning to take shape, his health took a devastating turn. He became weaker and more tired. Something was not right. After several visits to the doctors and tests, he learned that not only was he battling Severe Aplastic Anemia, but also MDS and PNH, two different types of cancers attacking the bone marrow. The odds against D’Marco had just tripled, and his fight to live became harder.To survive, he would need a bone marrow transplant. Not having the option of a related donor, he would need to find an unrelated donor that was his “perfect match”. Finding a match is difficult as it is, but when you are of a mixed ethnicity, it becomes much more challenging. It took a donor to appear from Brazil to give D’Marco hope.

Unfortunately, the odds continued to stack against him. With no antibodies, and zero immune system to ward off any ailments, DMarco’s original transplant had to be postponed. He needed platelets for procedures, antibodies to fight germs, transfusions to keep him going, and aggressive chemotherapy to be able to receive the transplant. After two failed bone marrow transplants and 123+ days in the bone marrow transplant unit, he and his family were waiting for signs that his 3rd (partial match) transplant has been successful.

In his final weeks on earth, D'Marco battled fungal infections and fevers. He endured many surgeries on top of his regular daily/weekly procedures. He missed out on so many of those things that we take for granted - like sitting on a comfy sofa and cuddling with a loved one, going out to eat, taking his beautiful girlfriend and biggest supporter, Jayla, on a date, doing anything spontaneously, taking a hot shower without being hooked up to an IV pump and multiple IV drips...not to mention just a little privacy!Though his physical body was ravaged by the disease and treatment, his incredible spirit never wavered.

D’Marco dreamed of becoming a nurse, and paying forward the incredible medical care he received. D’Marco always said that his goal in this life was to make a lasting impact on this world, and while his family may never understand why he was chosen for this journey, one can’t help but think that through this struggle, he has already accomplished this goal.Our family would like your help spreading the word of his journey, and the need for more people to join the one marrow registry at www.bethematch.org.

Thank you again to all supporters near and far - we truly appreciate it #TeamD'Marco4Life

We love you D'Marco!!!

My son, My hero, My warrior,
Mom (Lucet)