Lee Erwin and Nicole June Reporting
news@clarksvillenow.com
CLARKSVILLE, Tenn. – Mark Wright is an active member of the Clarksville community. He is married to his wife, Jamie Wright, and is a father of three children. He works at Kenwood High School (KHS) as a Media Assistant and Football Coach.
Six weeks ago, Mark’s life changed drastically. After receiving a knee injury, he began taking medication and experiencing strange side effects. He visited his doctor, only to be diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia.
Mark’s wife Jamie says this is a particularly aggressive form of leukemia, not often found in adults. As a result, Mark must undergo a strong regimen of chemotherapy, which he has been doing at Vanderbilt Medical Center. Although his family reports he is responding well to the treatment, he will still require a bone marrow transplant to head down the road to remission.
Thanks to his family and fellow KHS teacher Jill McElroy, Mark’s chances of finding a match for his transplant will be greatly increased. Be the Match, a nonprofit organization which tests for bone marrow matches, will visit KHS Friday, Nov. 15 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.
“This is really critical for us right now because Mark has done so well with treatment,” Jamie Wright said.
Jamie says the testing process is quick, simple, and painless. Potential matches must fill out 10-15 minutes of paperwork before they are administered a cheek swab for DNA. Blood draws are not required. This test is open to anyone in the community ages 18-44 to be entered as a match in the national registry. The Wright family hopes to encourage as many people as possible to be tested to help not only Mark, but anyone in the country who may need a transplant.
“You may be the one in a million person that saves the life of a child in Texas, or a mom in New York, or my husband, who is a coach right here at Kenwood High School,” she said.
Find more information about Mark Wright’s journey here.
For more information about Be the Match, visit their website here.
Team Mark Wright at Kenwood High School/Alicia Archuleta