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Friday, May 16, 2008

Globe: Ex-Red Sox Ace Monbouquette Battles Cancer

Good article about a good player from my hometown. There are so many nuggets I could quote here, but I’ll go with the PSA:

Tufts University in Medford is hosting a Donor Drive, sponsored by the Dana-Farber Marrow Donor Program, June 7 in his honor. Participants can take a quick cotton-swab cheek test to see if they are a potential match to any of 6,000 people in need of this lifesaving procedure.

Monbouquette says this is not just about him - that the more people who register for the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry, the more lives will be saved, especially children’s.

FWIW, I’ve been on the Registry for 15+ years, and I’ve recently found out I’m a match for someone (apparently not Monbo, according to the article).

villageidiom Posted: May 16, 2008 at 03:53 PM | 9 comment(s)
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1. Foster Posted: May 16, 2008 at 05:56 PM (#2783597)

Met Monbo at Red Sox fantasy camp a couple of years ago. Great guy and a great storyteller. Hope he sticks around while longer.

2. scareduck Posted: May 16, 2008 at 07:00 PM (#2783664)

Isn't giving bone marrow excruciatingly painful, though?

3. kevin Posted: May 16, 2008 at 07:21 PM (#2783686)

It's painful.

Which makes it all the more gratifying when you save a life by donating.

4. villageidiom Posted: May 16, 2008 at 08:00 PM (#2783732)

Isn't giving bone marrow excruciatingly painful, though?

My understanding is that it used to be a lot more painful than it is now. Also, I'm told a lot of donations now don't require harvesting of actual marrow, but rather a certain type of cells in one's blood - and that's relatively easy.

Here's some info.

5. B. Selig Posted: May 16, 2008 at 08:04 PM (#2783740)

I was tested to see if I was a donor match for my sister (I wasn't, and the doctor went with a non-marrow-transplant treatment) and I was told it wasn't that painful.

There are two ways to harvest the marrow. One is that you're given injections of a medication and then, a couple of days later, they take blood from a vein in your arm. The injections may cause flu-like symptoms.

The other way involves withdrawing the marrow from your hip bone. You're under anasthesia during the procedure (I think it was about an hour) but there's some slight pain afterwards. The doctor said it would feel like I'd slipped on the ice and landed on my hip.

6. 47YOUNEVERKNOW47 Posted: May 16, 2008 at 08:50 PM (#2783798)

His career was a bit before my time, but the guy's got class.

I sent him a SASE with an autograph request a few years back, but he dipped into his own pocket to send me a larger signed photo instead. Little thing, I know, but 99% of the population wouldn't have done it.

Here's wishing him the best.

7. Rich Posted: May 16, 2008 at 09:28 PM (#2783828)

I met Monbouquette and Mel Stottlemyre at a local Ford dealership when I was a little kid.

I wish him a full recovery.

8. Bruce Markusen Posted: May 16, 2008 at 10:03 PM (#2783846)

Monbo is one of the real good ones. A good pitching coach, great storyteller, and just a friendly guy overall. The Oneonta Tigers haven't been the same since he retired as pitching coach.

9. gef the talking mongoose Posted: May 16, 2008 at 10:20 PM (#2783853)

Awwww, man. His '68 Topps card is one of the earliest I remember (I didn't start buying cards till 1970, but somehow I got ahold of a handful of '68s & '69s somewhere along the line back then), with I think a cartoon on back making note of his no-hitter a few years earlier.

Here's to his recovery.

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Friday, May 16, 2008

Globe: Ex-Red Sox Ace Monbouquette Battles Cancer

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