MORRISVILLE, NY—They are known for carrying star-emblazoned shields and wrapping themselves in capes, but to one family, their superhero looks like an everyday person.
His name is Dale Durant, a student studying criminal justice at Morrisville State College. He’s an ordinary guy who likes to golf, hunt, watch sports, work out and hang with his friends.
But in the coming weeks, the 21-year-old Stockbridge resident will do something extraordinary.
Durant will travel out of state to donate his blood stem cells to help a child he doesn’t know. They won’t meet. He won’t know her name. And she won’t know his. He only knows his donation could save her life.
“Having the opportunity to make this donation is a very rewarding experience,” Durant said. “I’m fortunate to be healthy and this is an opportunity for me to give something to someone less fortunate.”
It’s an unlikely connection, made possible through technology and the human spirit. More than three years ago, Durant attended a Be The Match donor registry drive at MSC to boost potential donors in the national bone marrow transplant registry, which also includes stem cell matches.
While he didn’t participate then, Durant later went online and signed up to become part of the Be The Match Registry.
It was a simple process that entailed sending in a cheek swab sample from a kit he received in the mail. Be The Match, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program, maintains a database of millions of volunteers who stand ready to donate life-saving bone marrow or stem cells.
Most who register never hear from the organization. Approximately one in 540 members of the Be The Match Registry in the United States go on to donate bone marrow or peripheral blood stem cells (PBSC) to a patient.
Three years passed before Durant would realize the importance of his life-altering decision. He received a phone call that he was being considered as a match for a child with an immune disorder.
Additional blood work and medical examinations confirmed that Durant was a genetic match for a peripheral blood stem cell transplant (PBSC), a high-tech procedure that can treat a number of different diseases.
Through the Be The Match program, the donation process is completely anonymous. The recipient and donor are prohibited to exchange any information about themselves until a year after the transplant. After two years, they can choose to release their information to each other.
The PBSC transplant Durant will undergo is painless and pretty similar to donating blood, thanks to modern technology. Four days prior to the donation, he will receive injections to enhance his stem cell count. After his final injections, he will be hooked up to an apheresis machine, which will separate his blood from his stem cells. Human bodies replenish the marrow and stem cells they donate.
Costs are being covered by the organization, which also handled his screening appointments. “This is a wonderful organization,” Durant said. “They are so helpful and so dedicated to what they do. They try to make everything as easy as possible for the donor.”
Recovery time is usually quick and human bodies eventually replenish the marrow and stem cells they donate. Shortly after the procedure, Durant will graduate from Morrisville State College, on May 14, with a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice.
In the weeks leading up to the transplant, Durant is going about his daily routine, training for area cross fit competitions and working his full-time internship, through MSC, at the Madison County Sheriff’s Department to complete his criminal justice degree requirements.
An inherent desire to help others is visible in all aspects of Durant’s life and is one of the reasons why he chose to pursue a career in criminal justice at MSC.
“Dale is a true inspiration to us all,” said MSC President David Rogers. “He is an example of how our students reach out to the community in extraordinary ways.” The college has been recognized for its commitment to community service, being named by President Obama to the President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll.
Durant’s selflessness is apparent in the community too, where he’s volunteered in various fundraising events for the Munnsville American Legion. He also traveled to Delaware to repair houses for the less fortunate.
“Dale is a caring, professional young man,” said Madison County Sheriff Allen Riley. “For a person of his age to step forward and help this child that he does not know is remarkable and says a great deal about the person he is. During his internship with the Madison County Sheriff’s Office, he demonstrated great work ethic and dependability. It was an honor to have him intern with us.”
“Dale is an incredibly hard worker and a great and caring person. It does not surprise me in the least that he would do something so selfless to help someone else,” said Barbara Day, owner of Studio 26.2 fitness complex, where Durant is a member.
Durant hopes to spread the word about the Be The Match Registry. “The more donors they have and the more chances they have of finding matches—the more lives they can save,” he said.
The organization is a testament too, that superheroes don’t always boast powers of flight and super-strength. Real-life heroes are just like Dale Durant—everyday people who find a way to make a difference.
A 2012 graduate of Stockbridge Valley High School, Durant is the son of Becca and Dale Durant of Stockbridge.
For more information about Be The Match, visit https://bethematch.org/.