Blood drive will benefit former Garland pastor in search of bone marrow donor match

It’s simple math. The more people who sign up to be potential bone marrow donors, the greater the chances for a patient to match with someone who can provide a life-saving transplant.

That’s what some North Texans are hoping for this weekend: finding a possible cure for former pastor of Lavon Baptist Church Royce Taylor. A blood drive hosted Saturday aims not only to find a potential match for Taylor, but also increase awareness about the need for bone marrow and blood stem cell donors.

DKMS, an international nonprofit dedicated dedicated to fighting blood cancer and blood disorders, is partnering with the Salvation Army in Garland to host the drive Saturday from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Participants can donate blood and register the National Marrow Donor Program for people in need of a bone marrow or or stem cell donor.

Taylor, 42, was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia or CML, a rare blood cancer, in May 2021, he said. By April, he reached the “blast phase,” a stage of CML, in which the percentage of immature white blood cells in the blood or bone marrow reaches a high level. The father of three teenagers was hospitalized and has started chemotherapy treatments.

Finding a bone marrow donor could be a lifesaving treatment for the pastor who has spent his life ministering to others.

How does donor matching work?

A bone marrow transplant is a treatment for people with leukemia, lymphoma, other cancers and sickle cell anemia, according to the Mayo Clinic. Matches are based on human leukocyte antigen or HLA typing. HLAs are proteins found in most cells in the human body. The closer the match, the greater the chance the patient’s body accepts donated cells and allows them to grow new healthy ones.

About 15,000 people in the United States will need a bone marrow or stem cell transplant from an unrelated donor every year, according to DKMS, and about 70% of people suffering from blood-related illnesses must rely on donor outside of their family to find a match.

Additionally, a donor from the same ethnic background as a patient has a better chance of being a match because tissue types are inherited, according to DKMS. However, the majority of people registered as potential donors are white, therefore, people of color have less of a chance of matching with a donor. The more people who sign up for the national registry, the greater chance patients of color will have in matching with a donor.

At the drive Saturday, participants can expect to fill out their health information and have the inside of their mouths swabbed. A cheek cell sample is collected, tested for HLA type and the information is added to the national registry.

Raegan Bell, donor recruitment coordinator with DKMS, described bone marrow and stem cell transplants as “a second chance for life.” She said anyone in good health ages from ages 18-55 is encouraged to come Saturday and swab for the national registry. She also hopes to of find Taylor a donor, who described himself as half Black and half white in ancestry.

“It’s time for somebody to help him,” Bell said.

‘He’s so loved here.’

Taylor served Garland’s Lavon Drive Baptist Church as outreach pastor until his diagnosis caused him to step down. Before that, he served as a youth pastor in Brownsville.

For Taylor, his family and his faith have kept him uplifted throughout his treatments. He said whether or not he finds a match, he believes the drive will benefit someone else.

“If God felt that I could carry this burden with His help … why not let me carry that burden so I can I can help others through this whole process as well?” he said.

Kerby Richmon, associate pastor of Lavon Drive Baptist Church, described Taylor as “a big teddy bear.”

“No one can give a hug like Royce Taylor,” Richmon said

As outreach pastor, the role meant Taylor spearheaded a program to bus people to church and administered to people in need, Richmon said. The associate pastor described Taylor as outgoing, benevolent and a family man.

“He’s so loved here,” he said. “Our people are glad that we get to do this blood drive, and I’m excited to see how many potential donors we get from this.”

Taylor volunteered with the Salvation Army, the location of Saturday’s drive, and its Garland Overnight Warming Shelter (GLOWS), a coalition that works to provide shelter and resources to unhoused residents especially during extreme weather.

In addition to the Salvation Army event, Lavon Drive Baptist Church is hosting a donor registration drive Sunday evening starting at 7:15 p.m., following the church’s annual “An American Salute” concert, Richmon said. Saturday, July 1, the church will host a blood drive in Taylor’s name at its parking lot from 8 a.m. until noon.

BLOOD DRIVE AND BONE MARROW REGISTRATION DRIVE DETAILS: Saturday, June 24th, 2023. 9:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m., Salvation Army, 451 W. Avenue D75040, Garland.