Inspired by Family, Driven by Hope
When Mercer Island High School student, Ronan Buckley, learned his mother required a bone marrow transplant after her diagnosis with aplastic anemia, his world changed forever.
His family spent years navigating doctors’ offices and donor lists, learning firsthand just how critical—yet difficult—it can be to find a life-saving bone marrow match. “We saw up close how few young donors were in the registry,” Ronan recalls, “and how that can make all the difference for patients like my mom.”
Aplastic anemia is a rare and severe disease that stops the body from producing enough new blood cells. While bone marrow transplants offer hope, they are risky—especially without a perfect donor match. Statistics reveal that for patients with a matched sibling donor, five-year survival rates are as high as 75%, but for those relying on unrelated matches, survival rates can drop to 36–60%, with much higher risk for complications and mortality.
Marrow for Life:
Mobilizing the Next Generation
Motivated by his family’s ordeal, Ronan founded Marrow for Life, a local nonprofit with a clear mission: increase youth participation in the national bone marrow registry. “Young donors—especially 18 to 29-year-olds—are medically preferred, and their donations lead to better patient outcomes and long-term survival,” he explains.
The organization is rolling out an ambitious awareness campaign this summer. From school assemblies and social media outreach to partnerships with community groups and local businesses, Marrow for Life is making it easier than ever for Mercer Island’s youth to learn about the impact of donation—and to pre-register to join the national registry when they turn 18.
“We’re giving students and families the knowledge they need, eliminating fear, and amplifying the chance no one in need is left without hope,” says Ronan.
How the Community Can Help
Buckley encourages all Mercer Islanders to get involved?
Teens: Attend Marrow for Life events, talk to your families, and consider pre-registering.
Adults: Support awareness efforts—invite Marrow for Life to your organization, share information, help fund outreach, and of course also join the registry.
Local Leaders & Schools: Collaborate on events, distribute educational materials, and amplify the message.
“Every new young donor on the registry is a potential lifesaver for someone, somewhere,” Ronan affirms. “No patient—on Mercer Island or beyond—should ever be without hope because of a limited registry.”
In late 2018, my mother, Elizabeth Buckley, was diagnosed with aplastic anemia—a rare and life-threatening condition where the body stops producing enough new blood cells. Our family faced years of uncertainty and fear as we navigated her illness and prepared for the very real possibility of a bone marrow transplant. Through this difficult journey, we learned just how complex and perilous bone marrow transplants can be.
For patients without a perfectly matched donor, transplant outcomes become far more dangerous: survival rates drop significantly, with studies showing that the five-year survival rate for matched sibling donor transplants is about 70–75%, but falls to around 35-60% with alternative or unrelated donors.
Complications such as graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) are much more common and deadly without a close match, and mortality in mismatched transplants can be as high as 50% or more.
Witnessing the emotional and physical toll of aplastic anemia firsthand, and understanding the critical importance of timely access to well-matched donors, inspired me to take action.
The U.S. bone marrow registry still faces a shortage of young, diverse donors, leaving many patients—like my mom—searching in vain for the match that could save their lives. I founded Marrow for Life to help change this reality, driven by my family’s experience and the belief that no patient should ever lack hope because of a limited registry. Our mission is to educate, engage, and empower young people to join the bone marrow registry, offering others the second chance that my family was so desperately seeking.
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Bone Marrow Donation
