'The Answer Was Always Yes': Arkansas Surgeon Donates Bone Marrow to Save Stranger's Life

OrthoArkansas Surgeon Dr. Derrick Henry initially joined the National Marrow Donor Program, formerly known as Be The Match, after watching his mother-in-law undergo a bone marrow transplant. As a medical student, he completed a simple cheek swab, mailed in the kit and returned to his studies.

He had largely forgotten about being on the registry until he was contacted this spring and told he was a preliminary match for a potential recipient.

“I told them, if I’m the person on the other end of that call, or that person’s family, I want whoever gets asked to say yes, no matter what,” Dr. Henry said. “So the answer was yes. There was a lot to figure out, what it meant for clinic, for surgery schedules, for my team and my patients. But the answer was always yes.”

On March 16, Henry traveled to Washington, D.C., to donate his bone marrow for a lifesaving transplant. His father, Randy Henry, accompanied him on the trip. Randy works alongside his son every day as his clinical assistant at OrthoArkansas.

“To be away from his family and everything he does here, and to be one hundred percent committed to it, that says everything,” Randy Henry said. “I’m very proud of the man and the physician he’s become.”

The donation procedure took about 45 minutes. Henry woke up in recovery with some soreness in his lower back, but he and his father were able to walk two blocks for pizza that evening.

Making the trip possible also required some planning back in Arkansas. Henry’s team rearranged two full days of clinic schedules to make sure his patients continued receiving care while he was away.

Because the National Marrow Donor Program keeps donors and recipients anonymous, Henry will not know whose life his donation touched.

For him, however, knowing the recipient’s identity isn’t what matters.

“You never know when you or someone you love will be the one who needs it,” Dr. Henry said. “If you’re in a healthy position to do this for someone, it’s a great gift to give. Don’t hesitate to at least consider it.”

For those interested in potentially becoming a donor, joining the registry starts with a simple cheek swab. More information is available through the National Marrow Donor Program at nmdp.org.