BELLEVUE, Wash. -- It's their job to be there when you need them, but state troopers are now asking for your help. The Washington State Patrol is looking for a bone marrow donor to help one of its own in her fight against cancer. Donations could help more than you know.
Trooper Renee Padgett was diagnosed in 2012 with a rare white blood cell cancer. The cancer went into remission but has returned.
"The first thought right when I got diagnosed ... I said to my doctor was what about my children, and then I broke down crying," Padgett told KING 5 in November of 2012.
For the last several years, fellow law enforcement officers across the state have been seeing if their bone marrow is a match while also raising money to help pay for treatment.
Padgett has already made her mark on Washington state. She helped start the Homeward Bound program that puts pictures of missing kids on the sides of trucks, working to bring home the some 23,000 kids who go missing each year in our state. Her efforts have reunited missing kids with their families.
"Every time we get word that a child has come home or has been recovered, it's just like, 'yay, you made a difference,'" said Padgett.
Anyone age 18 to 44 is encouraged to have a cheek swabbed for DNA to get into the bone marrow registry. Even if a donor is not a match for Padgett, he or she could help save the life of another cancer patient in need.
The drive runs from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. at Washington State Patrol Bellevue headquarters at 2803 156th Avenue SE in Bellevue. Blood donations and bone marrow testing will also be conducted in Spokane at WSP District 4 Headquarters, 6403 W. Rowand Road, Spokane from 12:15 p.m. until 4:00 p.m.
More information on how to help Padgett:
