Midi now playing: "I believe I can Fly" because Heath always believed he could do anything he wanted to!
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Here's to
Your
Health! ...a Homepage by Heath Harper (In loving memory of Heath Harper, Dec.5,1974 - Jan.2,1997) |
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Allow me to
introduce myself. My name is Heath Harper, a twenty-two year old 5th year senior at the
University of South Florida in Tampa. In addition to being an active member of the university community, I am also the former
president of the Delta Sigma Chapter of the Sigma Tau Gamma Fraternity.
I am finishing up a Management degree after which I hope to go to the University of Florida to
obtain my degree in corporate law.Oh yeah...almost forgot my problem and reason for constructing this page. I have an acute myloid leukemia (AML) that has developed out of a pre existing Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). Got your attention... Read-on!
In December of 1995, I got a seemingly harmless lymph node infection which would see
me through 9 months of a medical roller coaster and lead to a bone marrow transplant. All of my counts were low and after months
of testing, various second opinions, and much nail-biting, the pathology department at
Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa diagnosed me with
Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS). It didn't take long for the MDS to develop into an
acute myloid leukemia (AML)...about 2 months. I was quickly
whisked to St. Joseph's Hospital in Tampa for induction chemo therapy. The result was a partial remission, buying me enough time
to proceed towards the only potential cure for my condition...a
bone marrow transplant.
My Cure:
Mid October saw me in Seattle at the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center for the bone marrow transplant that will save my life. I owe the chance to live to a marrow donor who was a member of the bone marrow donor registry. What a simple thing to do to save a life, The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) maintains a list of almost 2 million potential donors...or potential lifesavers. Donating is a simple yet often misunderstood procedure...and becoming a member of the registry is even simpler. Please, take a second to save a life and call the NMDP or an area hospital for details.
Links & Resources:
- American Cancer Society-Homepage with various resources and information.
- CancerWeb-Site full of information and even a search engine to help you find what you are looking for.
- OncoLink -Will bring you first to a definition of Leukemia but allow you to visit the OncoLink homepage...a valuable resource for cancer info.
- Free Stuff-a site which offers a glimpse of many free services available on the internet.
- Cards-send someone anything from a talking card to an e-cake from this site.
- Doctor Jokes-pretty self explanatory...check it out.
- London Mall-a favorite site of mine for their convenient collection of search engines...
This site is
owned by Want to join the WebBMT Support Ring? |
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... And last, but certainly not least ...
My very special friend Kim maintains a homepage where you can find more
information on becoming a marrow donor as well as links to the pages of others touched by bone marrow transplants.
There is also a link here to BMT-talk, the wonderful newsgroup where I
met Kim, Charlotte, and others who have profoundly affected my life.
Kim's Cancer Links
On Jan 2, 1997, Heath's battle ended. I know he believed in the Transplant, the doctors and everyone involved. Heath would still encourage everyone to donate and anyone that needed a BMT to go for it. This page will remain as a memorial to Heath and everyone else who battles cancer. It will also remain to encourage people to get on the registry.
God saw you getting tired,
When a cure was not to be.
So He wrapped his arms around you,
and whispered, "Come to me".
You didn't deserve what you went through,
So He gave you rest.
God's garden must be beautiful,
He only takes the best
And when I saw you sleeping,
So peaceful and free from pain
I could not wish you back
To suffer that again.
-Author Unknown
... Email...
My challenge has shown me the value of a positive attitude
and the power of knowledge. If you have both, your battle is virtually won already. If you would like to share your story, have
questions or suggestions, or just want to say hi, feel free to send me e-mail.
I would like to thank the people that have presented Heaths Homepage with these very special awards.
Heath's Family
...My obligatory guest book - Please sign in:...
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Special thanks to PC Rental in Redmond, WA for donating my computer for my hospital stay and to everyone who helped on this page. THANKS!
This page is maintained by Heaths friend Kim .
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This page is dedicated to Heath's loving family: Sharon, Rob, Beth and Heather and all the friends who stood by him.