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What's Brewing

Roll up a sleeve to help

By SUSAN THURSTON
Published April 29, 2005

Jerry Gomez has what a lot of people want: a happy marriage, three great kids, a successful career and a beautiful house. He also has something no one wants: cancer.

Gomez, 50, has non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, which affects the lymph nodes. To survive, he needs a bone marrow transplant from someone with his genetic makeup.

His four siblings aren't a match. Neither is anyone in his extended family. Now Gomez and his wife, Carol, are asking the public to donate blood samples to find a suitable match.

Time is running out. The cancer has advanced to his bones and is pushing against his organs. If he doesn't find a match within about four months, his doctors will go ahead and transplant a mix of marrow from one of his children, his mother and another relative.

The chances it will take, however, aren't great.

GOMEZ WAS DIAGNOSED with the cancer in August 1998, six months after his "miracle" triplets were born.

He and Carol, who live in Bayshore Beautiful, began trying to have a baby when they got married nine years ago. After two failed pregnancies, they decided to try in-vitro fertilization. Amazingly, four eggs were harvested and fertilized.

After much soul-searching - and against doctors' advice - the couple implanted all four, hoping at least one would survive.

Years later, they still laugh remembering the ultrasound when nurses counted one, then two, then three!

Carol, who had cervical cancer, was confined to bed at 18 weeks and spent two months in the hospital. She delivered Max, Julia and Robert at 32 weeks. Each was healthy and weighed 3 to 4 pounds.

Throughout the ordeal, Jerry Gomez stood strong, juggling his job as a financial planner and building a new house. He was exhausted but figured that was normal, given the circumstances.

When he couldn't shake a cough, he went to the doctor. It was cancer, Stage 4.

GOMEZ UNDERWENT all kinds of treatment and eventually went into remission. Several months ago, the cancer returned in full force. A bone marrow transplant is his only hope.

The couple, with help from neighbor Brandi Jackson, started hunting for a donor in November. They posted fliers, contacted businesses and organized donor drives. Jackson, a mother of two young children who met the Gomezes through church, made the search her mission.

Finding a match isn't easy. Chances range from one in 30,000 to one in 1-million, depending on the genetic makeup, said Katrina Holley, National Marrow Donor Program director for Florida Blood Services.

"It's a common cliche, but it's really a needle in a haystack," she said.

Although anyone can be Gomez's match (blood type doesn't matter), the most likely candidate is part Hispanic or American Indian - ethnic groups often reluctant to be tested. Gomez's family is from Spain and Cuba, but he has lived in Tampa all his life.

The Gomezes have put on drives at events and Hispanic festivals across the region. So far, more than 500 people have participated. None has proven a match for Gomez, but they could for someone else nationwide.

Gomez says the huge response helps him get through the hard days.

"My fear is not being able to see my kids grow up," he said. "I feel like I'm an actor in a bad movie and I want it to be over."

Waiting is the toughest part. About 30,000 people a year need bone marrow transplants, Holley said. About 30 percent of them find a match among family members. The rest rely on an outside match.

Gomez's case has become somewhat of a priority, she said, because of the difficulty in finding a match and the severity of his condition.

People interested in getting tested can call Florida Blood Services at 1-800-682-5663, ext. 2110, or go to the Tampa office at 4041 W Kennedy Blvd. They can also call Jackson at 363-1416.

Getting tested is easy - just one vial of blood - and it could save a life, Jackson says.

"People spend their whole lives looking for purpose," she said. "Here it is."

THE LAST DROP: Tampa has no shortage of do-gooders. For his eighth birthday last month, Sam Jenkins, a student at Dale Mabry Elementary, asked party guests to bring donations for the Red Cross Tsunami Relief Fund instead of gifts. He presented a check to the Red Cross for $225.

Susan Thurston can be reached at 226-3394 or thurston@sptimes.com

[Last modified April 28, 2005, 08:33:09]