In 1997, Arthur Jones was diagnosed with chronic lymphocytic leukemia. His nine-year battle against the disease included two bone marrow transplants, the first in 1999 and the second in 2004. In both cases, his doctors conducted unsuccessful international searches for compatible donors on behalf of Arthur, an African American. His transplants used stem cells from umbilical cord donors.
A person’s match is usually someone of the same racial heritage. However, African Americans are less likely to find a match because they comprise just seven percent of the volunteers in the world’s largest donor bank the Be The Match Registry.®
A Pulitzer prize winning journalist and later a spokesman for elected officials including former president Bill Clinton, Arthur spent his professional life informing and educating the public about important issues impacting our communities. Upon his death in October of 2006, Arthur’s family, friends and colleagues created Swab For a Cure, an organization dedicated to educating minorities about the importance of registering as potential bone marrow donors and to help publicize donor drives being conducted in communities across the country.
