LIFE-LONG BONDS FORGED FROM DONATION OF HOPE

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LIFE-LONG BONDS FORGED FROM DONATION OF HOPE

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When Dax Hurst ‘21 walked into the Reng Student Union to register as a stem cell donor as a student in 2018, his goal was to make a good impression on a particular female student that had caught his eye. Little did he know that his act of generosity would give hope to a family more than 1,500 miles away, then turn into a story that could be scripted for Hollywood.

That particular spring day, DKMS, formerly known as Deutsche Knochenmarkspenderdatei, or German Bone Marrow Donor Center before becoming a global company, had a booth in the union for student donations, and Hurst did a cheek swab to give a sample of his DNA, along with the “friend” who encouraged him to donate.

The DKMS process uses human leukocyte antigen (HLA) typing, a DNA-based tissue test that matches patients and donors for bone marrow transplants, and though chances are less than 1% that a recipient will find a match, a little over a year later, Hurst got the call that he paired with a recipient.

That match was to Arian Pacheco, a three-month-old boy who lived near Los Angeles. Due to HIPPA laws, neither Hurst nor the Pacheco family was allowed to learn any details about the other, so both the donor and the recipient were a mystery to the others involved.

“The only piece of information we got was Dax’s age, gender and blood type,” said Arian’s mother, Victoria Pacheco. “We didn’t know who he was but we knew he was a special kind of being. I couldn’t believe that a person of that age would put his life on hold for this infant child which he had no information about. I was so grateful for the sacrifice and just in awe. It was something so indescribable, after all this anguish, pain and anxiety, we felt some type of hope.”

“All I knew at the time was that the baby was born July 1, 2019, and had severe combined immunodeficiency disorder and was in need of a bone marrow donor, and that we had matched,” said Hurst. “I was surprised that I had received a call to match after being on the list just a little over a year. My mother had been on the list for over 10 years and had never received a call. I happily accepted to do the bone marrow donation, which led to multiple health screenings over the phone with DKMS and multiple blood tests to confirm that I was indeed the best match for the child.”

Once the match was confirmed, DKMS flew Dax and his mother Brandi ‘98 to Georgetown Medical Center in Washington, D.C., where he underwent a physical and a series of blood tests. It was decided that instead of a bone marrow transplant, a peripheral blood stem cell donation would be done. Hurst returned home and on Sept. 21, began receiving injections of Filgrastim, a drug that caused his body to overproduce stem cells, at the St. Bernards Urgent Care on campus.

“It was tough to sync this with my classes because I was well into the fall semester of my junior year and the injections required a health screening with a doctor each day to check for any adverse reactions,” Hurst noted.

On Sept. 24, Hurst took an exam at A-State then flew back to Washington, arriving at Georgetown Medical Center after midnight, and at 6 a.m. the following day, began the stem cell donation, which lasted six hours.

“DKMS was very open with me from the beginning about what sort of symptoms I would be experiencing while taking the shots of Filgrastim, as well as how I would feel after the procedure,” Hurst explained. “I essentially experienced migraines and soreness in my joints once I started the shots, and then after the procedure I felt tired and drained – similar to how one would feel after having mono. I then flew back with my family at 6 a.m. the next day to get back for a lab practical and another exam.”

It was over a year before Dax knew Arian’s identity. After six months, he was able to write a letter to Arian’s family, but he was not allowed to tell them his name or where he was from. To make matters worse, the letter was lost in the mail and Hurst didn’t know if the transplant was successful. In January 2021, Arian’s family sent a letter to DKMS requesting that they be able to exchange contact information, and at that point they began to communicate.

“DKMS asked us to not FaceTime or Zoom with each other yet so that they could do a story and record the first meeting to run as a segment to help promote DKMS and get others to register,” said Hurst. “We exchanged text messages and pictures on Jan. 29, and continued to stay in contact often. That spring, DKMS informed me that they had been in contact with producers of the Today Show and that they were interested in running a segment on the donation story. It was then set up for me to fly to Los Angeles with my family to do an interview in person with the Today Show the morning of May 18, and then Arian’s family would interview with them at their home that afternoon.”

The Pacheco family was not aware that Hurst was in Los Angeles, and were expecting to meet him via Zoom. Hurst showed up during the Pacheco’s interview session, and the families were united. “Arian’s family did not know that I had been flown to LA to surprise them in person,” said Hurst. “My family and I were able to meet Arian and his family for the first time thanks to the Today Show and DKMS. We hung out with them all that afternoon, had dinner with them, then two days later before we left we met them for dinner again. It was one of the most rewarding and emotional experiences of my life, and being able to see Arian and his family in person made the experience hit home even more.”

“The day he showed up during the interview was surreal,” said Pacheco. “We had talked about that moment for months and couldn’t believe he was finally there so that we could thank him in person for what was no simple deed. He not only changed Arian’s life, but ours as well. We were just full of gratitude and happiness to see him.”

“One act of kindness can transform lives,” added Pacheco. “We are completely transformed and have felt such relief through this pandemic knowing he is protected by Dax’s cells, knowing that kind people are out there keeping the vulnerable in mind. I don’t want to think what would’ve happened if Dax had not been on the registry.”

Both Hurst and Pacheco stress the importance of registering to be a bone marrow or stem cell donor because the chances of a recipient in need finding a match are less than 1%. Log on to DKMS.org for information or to order a swab kit.

“The possibilities are endless for Arian thanks to Dax,” added Pacheco, “and who knows, maybe he is a future Arkansas State alumnus, just like his hero.”

And just like in the movies, the hero got the girl.

Hurst and his fiancée, A-State alumna Anna Lowery ‘20 – the same girl he was trying to impress that day in the Union – are engaged to be married in 2023. Hurst is employed by the Jonesboro Pediatric Dental Group and will soon begin dental school at the University of Tennessee College of Dentistry, and Lowery is currently completing her doctor of physical therapy degree at A-State.