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East Quogue local Toni Petersen, who found a bone marrow match in 2014, is now searching for a perfect match for her sick six-month-old grandson, Jase.
East Quogue local Toni Petersen, who found a bone marrow match in 2014, is now searching for a perfect match for her sick six-month-old grandson, Jase. TONI PETERSEN
Longtime East Quogue resident Toni Peterson, a two-time cancer survivor who found a perfect match for her bone marrow transplant several years ago, is now searching for another match — this time for her 6-month-old grandson.
Ms. Petersen was diagnosed with breast cancer in May 2012. She underwent a mastectomy and multiple rounds of chemotherapy before going into remission in January 2013. In February 2014, Ms. Petersen was diagnosed with leukemia, and the only cure was a bone marrow transplant.
More than 150 people gathered at a bone marrow screening drive at Ms. Petersen’s place of worship, Eastport Bible Church, in May 2014, in hope of being her perfect match.
On July 3, 2014, Ms. Petersen underwent her bone marrow transplant, something she describes as “an absolute blessing from someone so far away,” as her perfect match donor was in Oregon.
Now, Ms. Petersen’s grandson, 6-month-old Jase Hallman, needs a perfect match, too.
Jase has Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome, an immune deficiency caused by a genetic mutation. His body cannot create platelets properly, making it difficult for him to form blood clots.
Ms. Petersen’s daughter, Bethany Hallman, formally Bethany Ferry before she got married in 2013, lives in Mount Holly, North Carolina.
Ms. Hallman, now 37, grew up in East Quogue and graduated from Westhampton Beach High School in 2000. She has four children: 6-year-old C.J., 3-year-old twins Anthony and Noel, and Jase.
“Right now, his platelets are lower than last month, and they seem to be getting lower and lower,” Ms. Hallman explained. “It gets to a point where he can be bleeding internally. He doesn’t have that right now, but if it continues to drop, there’s a very high risk of that happening.”
She said the thought of a bone marrow transplant initially scared her, but her mother’s success helped her to come to terms with it.
“When I heard my mom found a perfect match, I felt relieved,” she said. “I felt like everything was going to be okay. She found a 10/10 match in Oregon. We don’t have a 10/10 for Jase — there’s a 9/10 match, but for a baby you want a perfect match.”
Ms. Hallman explained that there’s a risk of your body rejecting a bone marrow transfer when it’s not a perfect match. Even when it is a 10/10 match, there’s still a risk of rejection, but it’s much less likely.
Once again, the members of the Eastport Bible Church stepped up to help the family. The church will be hosting a bone marrow screening drive on Saturday, February 22, from noon to 6 p.m. Those who plan to attend will simply fill out a form and get their mouth swabbed. It then takes six to eight weeks for the samples to be processed and added to the donor registry.
The preferred donor should be between the ages of 18 and 44 — those over the age of 44 have to register online and pay a $100 processing fee, as additional testing needs to be conducted. Donors also need to be free of cancer, hepatitis B and C and HIV/AIDS.
The East Quogue Elementary School will also be hosting a bone marrow screening drive on Thursday, March 5, from 4 to 8 p.m.
“You’re going to save a child’s life,” Ms. Petersen said. “This is the only cure, the more his platelets drop, he can bleed internally, so we have to move relatively fast.”
Kaleb Kemper, the lead pastor at Eastport Bible Church, said he and the congregation are happy to be there for Ms. Petersen’s family.
“Toni has an incredible passion to help people, so we are excited about supporting her and her grandson Jase,” said Mr. Kemper. “Toni’s own medical journey has been long and filled with repeated setbacks, but it has not beaten her. Her hope in God has been, as Hebrews says, ‘An anchor for the soul, firm and secure.’
“Although we might not be able to find a match for Toni’s grandson Jase at this event,” he continued, “there are many like Toni and Jase who are in need of a match who may be helped. All it takes is a simple cheek swab, and you are ready to help someone who desperately needs a bone marrow transplant if you’re a match.”
