On January 18th, a stem-cell donor drive was held in the Newton High School library for a student, Johnna Hulett, who is fighting leukemia. A stem-cell donor drive is an event to find a match for a person in need of a bone marrow transplant. 

“We have a teammate, Johnna Hulett, who is battling leukemia and will need a bone marrow transplant at some point.  There are currently no matches for her so your coaches, teammates and community members wanted to do whatever it takes to help find her a match,” said Newton High School volleyball coach Jamie Dibbens. 

Many people in the Newton community showed up to get swabbed. The in-person turnout was 142 people, and there were 61 more people that did it online. It has been discovered that only about one percent of people that get swabbed actually end up being a match, which means that the more people who get swabbed the better. One reason why it is important for people in the community to participate in things like this is because it can possibly help save a life. 

 “It’s important for communities to look out for one another. The fact that the Newton and extending community came to the donor drive shows that they care about Johnna. I am grateful to be a part of a community that shows up for each other,” said senior Anne Koontz. 

There are still events happening in the community for Johnna. The Newton High School volleyball coach is working with Bethel College to put on another in-person donor drive. To get swabbed, you must be 18 years old. Even if you are not a match for Johnna, you could possibly be a match for someone else! 

“It is important to get people swabbed so that there is a more extensive database on matches so that people like Johnna can get matched and get the stem cells they need for survival,” said Anne Koontz.