Testimonial: Donors’ Compassion Runs in the Blood

Donors’ Compassion Runs in the Blood

Six-year-old Ruth Mersburgh didn’t like calling the tumors that filled her chest and stomach by their actual name, so she called them “lumps”. Her mother, Charlene, remembers the day she discovered the first lump in the base of Ruth’s neck. By the end of the week, the lump grew in size. Three weeks later, Ruth was diagnosed with Stage 4 neuroblastoma.

“Ruth was always healthy, and there never was a sign of anything so devastating,” said the elder Mersburgh, who recalls Ruth’s first blood transfusion on March 19, 2006. “She was very weak and pale, and Dr. Kelley Woodruff said that she was going to need some blood. That blood got hooked up in the afternoon, and as it went into Ruth, her color came back and life came back into her.”

During her battle, Ruth experienced over 11 hours of surgery, eight rounds of chemotherapy, a stem cell harvest, a stem cell transplant, radiation and several medications. At the suggest ion of a dear friend, Mersburgh kept notes about the experience to help her know how to care for her daughter. She also noted the 22 numbers on each of the units Ruth received.

“We didn’t take those numbers down because we were concerned about the blood supply,” added Mersburg. “We took them down because we wanted to pray for each person who gave it.”

With the help of doctors, friends, family and blood donors, Ruth has been free of “lumps” for over eight months. With her treatment behind her, Ruth will start the first grade this fall at Kahakai Elementary School in Kailua-Kona on the Big Island. She hopes to become a chef one day so she can cook for children and adults who are facing cancer. Ruth also was the inspiration for the creation of two teams, called “Lumpbusters”, at an American Cancer Society Relay f or Life event to help promote blood donations.

“We would like to thank each person for donating so diligently,” said Mersburgh. “It’s a life commitment, and you provided for my daughter when she got sick and we don’t even know you. Thank you very much.”