Argumentative Essay: Garrett's Stem Cell Recovery

What started out on Facebook as a local community prayer chain, later evolved into many changing their profile picture to 19-year-old Dillon Garrett and the banner “Stand Up to Cancer.” Raised in the small town of Blythe, when word traveled that Garrett was sick but then given another chance of health through a stem cell transplant, two Samaritans by the name Dolly and Mark Razo organized a dinner to further the community’s efforts in supporting one of its own.
Holding a dinner at the American Legion on Friday, March 31, friends and family of Garrett donated and brought refried bean tostadas plates to assist in Garrett’s stem cell recovery.
With an overwhelming number of supportive people in not only Blythe, but around the world, the Garretts’ have seen an outpour of donation abundantly, exceeding the asking amount through Garrett’s
GoFundMe account and through the dinner most recently held.
“Love has came from everybody,” mother of Garrett, Kendra Garrett-Peters said.
Knowing that Garrett was scheduled to go in the hospital, Razo told Garrett-Peters her desire to have a fundraiser on behalf of Garrett’s stay in Phoenix.
Since Garrett-Peters is a member of the American Legion and her son a former soldier of the United States Army, Razo thought it not robbery to bring the community together for a cause larger than she could imagine.
“She called me on Monday (March 27) saying she wanted to do something, but I knew she had stuffing coming up in late April, but within 15-20 minutes she told me had gotten everything that was needed to put on the fundraiser,” Garrett-Peters said.
With everything donated after word spread of Razo’s ambition to host a fundraiser by the end of the week, within four days, the American Legion was packed on Friday night with the event raising shy of $3,000 and Garrett’s GoFundMe account being shared over 500 times and exceeding $630 of its asking amount of $5,000.
“I have no words to describe the support this kid has, that our family has,” Garrett-Peters said on a March 29 Facebook post. “We are so extremely lucky to have each and everyone of you in our lives. Your strength, encouraging words, prayers and love have been the lifeboat to keep us afloat.”
“I want to thank everyone in our community,” Razo, too shared on a Facebook post after the fundraiser. “You guys are amazing. Our community always comes together like no other community when someone needs help. We always make it happen. I want to thank all my friends who always back me up when I need help to do these fundraisers--- so to all of you, thank you for your food donations and for all of you who came to help serve. You guys were amazing and so much fun… Now prayers for a speedy recovery for Dillon.”
What
happened:
Leading a well-balanced life in the United States Army in early October, Garrett’s life took a turn, as his back and lower right side began hurting him.
Still crawling under barb wire, hiking/running trails and committing to his active duties of PT after boot camp training at Ft. Leonard Wood, Missouri, Garrett continued to push through until the pain became unbearable and he was sent to the base hospital. “He called me earlier that day and I asked him what was wrong and he said his back and lower right side was hurting him,” Garrett-Peters said. “At that time I thought he probably had kidney stones or appendicitis, you know something minor because, he had never been sick.”
However, called between 4:30 to 5 p.m., PST by the base hospital, Oct. 6, 2016, will be a day the Garretts’ will always remember, as Garrett-Peters was told that Garrett was being transferred to the University of Missouri with speculations of leukemia.
“They suggested that we got there as soon as possible, so the next day, my husband and I flew out, got there about 2:30 on Sunday morning and by Sunday night they were starting chemo,” Garrett-Peters said.
Diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), what begin to happen in Garrett’s body is his bone marrow began making blasts, cells that have not yet completely matured.
Although, these blasts are normally develop into white blood cells, however, in AML, these cells do not develop and are unable to ward off infections. “In AML, the bone marrow may also make abnormal red blood cells and platelets. The number of these abnormal cells increases rapidly, and the abnormal (leukemia) cells begin to crowd out the normal white blood cells, red blood cells and platelets that the body needs,” according to Cancer Treatment Centers of America.
Undergoing one round of chemo in Missouri for seven days for 24 hours, Garrett stayed in the hospital for 30 days and received five to six marrow biopsies.
“It was really hardcore stuff,” Garrett-Peters shared. However, after chemo treatment in Missouri, Garrett was brought home to Blythe, with all of his medical records transferred to the Mayo Clinic in Phoenix.
“Then the first of December we went to see Dr. Slack and he had him go in for another round of chemo, it’s basically maintenance chemo,” Garrett-Peters said.
Being in remission since November, James L. Slack, M.D. told Dillon he had two options.
See the rest of the story in the April 12 issue of the Palo Verde Times.