Leukemia survivor will climb Mount Shasta to honor
Stanford BMT team

	Melinda Barnes (right) and Linda Chitwood on Mt. Shasta summit

By Elizabeth Crown

In 1989, when she was 26 years old, Melinda Barnes was living a life she loved. She’d graduated from college in May, had a full-time job and was learning how to rock climb.

In August, she started feeling fatigued and frequently had colds. She slept a lot. She blamed it on her active lifestyle. She had bruises all over her body, which she attributed to her rock climbing adventures. Only when she developed severe pains in her back that wouldn’t go away did Melinda consult a doctor. Results of her medical tests showed that she had acute lymphoblastic leukemia.

After two years of intensive chemotherapy followed by two relapses within a few months, Melinda was referred to Karl Blume, MD, director of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at Stanford University Medical Center. Dr. Blume, a pioneer in bone marrow transplantation research, had established the Stanford program in 1987.

In November 1991, Melinda received a bone marrow transplant. The marrow, which had been donated by her brother Randy, was perfectly matched. On Valentine’s Day in 1992, Melinda was allowed to return home.

Now living in Mt. Shasta, Melinda says her “winters are filled with endless days of skiing, and spring, summer and fall bring backcountry skiing, hiking, climbing, running and swimming. Each day I walk out my door, take in the mountain and breathtaking vistas and know how lucky I am to be here.”

To acknowledge the 20th anniversary of Stanford’s Blood and Marrow Transplant Program, Melinda is planning a fund-raising climb of Mt. Shasta. Her friend Linda Chitwood (pictured above) will accompany her.

Melinda is dedicating her climb to Dr. Blume and to Dr. Robert Negrin, the program’s current director, and the team of nurses and technicians who, in her words, saved her life.     

Her goal is $14,162 – one dollar for every foot of Mt. Shasta. All of the money raised by the event will be donated to the Bone Marrow Transplant Program at the Stanford Medical Center.         

To help Melinda reach the Mt. Shasta summit, send donations to: P.O. Box 735, Mt. Shasta, CA 96067. Please make checks payable to “Stanford BMT.”

Posted: 05/02/08