Texas Army National Guard SPC Akeem Martin began his journey to save a life nearly five years ago when he was a freshman at Central Texas College.
“We were going to lunch one day and they [Be The Match] were having a drive, giving away pizza,” he said.
Be The Match is a nonprofit international organization that matches stem cell and bone marrow donors with recipients inflicted with certain cancers. The matches are based partly on ethnicity, and often the match will come from outside one’s family.
“I signed up, they took a mouth swab and that was the last time I heard anything,” SPC Martin said. “Then last year (2017), I got a call from Be The Match saying that I had been matched with a person with leukemia and asking would I like to donate for them.”
SPC Martin could have said no, but that is not in his character. “Because I signed up for it, just like any other commitment you make, you did the paperwork, you said you were gonna do it, so … .”
SPC Martin leaves the statement hanging as if the conclusion is obvious: You do what you say and say what you do; no more discussion needed. This attitude serves him well in both his military and civilian careers.
A 23-year-old from Houston, SPC Martin has been a firefighter for two years with the South Montgomery County Fire Department. In the Texas Army National Guard, he is a chaplain’s assistant deployed to the southwest border for Joint Task Force Guardian Support with the El Paso-based 3rd Battalion, 133rd Field Artillery Regiment.
As a chaplain’s assistant, he has many opportunities to counsel service members and help them on an emotional level. “These [Guard members] have lives going on back home, and life happens every day,” SPC Martin said. “I am just glad I can help.”
Four months after LaShonda Goines, a cancer nurse from Houston, was diagnosed with two different forms of cancer, she wrote a touching letter that was addressed to “My Donor” and received by SPC Martin. At the time, she knew for certain only two things – there was a perfect 10-out-of-10 match for her, and, without a doubt, everything was going to be OK.
“I never asked for the odds of survival – I would not accept them anyways,” Goines said. “I just knew that God was going to bring me out of this. I knew I was going to beat it.”
After Goines received SPC Martin’s stem cells, the good news came over the phone just 30 days later. “I am cancer free,” Goines said. “Hearing those words was awesome.”
SPC Martin and Goines were invited to meet for the first time in Minnesota at the annual Be The Match Council Meeting. That contact occurred on stage in front of more than 2,000 people.
“I can’t even describe how amazing that moment was – it was so precious,” SPC Martin said.
He attempted to describe the event, seemingly at a loss for words, then shrugged his shoulders and said: “I was really anxious and super excited. I was just really happy to get to that point. Just seeing her and being able to say that we got to that point because she made it, she was a fighter. It was something really special.”
Goines went from a double cancer diagnosis to cancer free in seven months because SPC Martin decided to make a difference and see it through. “Sign up for Be The Match,” she urged. “It doesn’t matter if you are Black, White, Hispanic. Just sign up.”
SPC Martin said his experience doesn’t make him a hero, but does make him want to share his story. “It is really important to educate people on the Be the Match program or any marrow donor program because it does save lives. It does make a difference.”
For more information on the program, visit bethematch.org.
BY SFC SUZANNE RINGLE, TEXAS NATIONAL GUARD
