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Leadership through Serviceby Cadet Jordan Ashley SmithWednesday mornings for most cadets mean an intense period of physical trainingwith their ROTC units followed by a quick shower before going to class. For one cadet,Wednesday morning meant something entirely different. Even though she was also upbefore the sun, she would not be training with her Navy unit. Instead, she was up andout of the gates of Padgett-Thomas on medical leave, hopefully to save a little girl’s life.Regimental Human Affairs Officer Cadet Mary Eve Rochelle Bennett knew when sheput her name on the National Marrow Donor Program’s Be <strong>The</strong> Match Registry twoyears ago that she might get a call. And this past summer, that call came.Bennett was a possible match to a young patient suffering from aplastic anemia.Would she be willing to take more tests to confirm the match? Bennett did nothesitate. Over the summer, while balancing her First Class Midshipman SummerTraining Cruise and volunteering at her local wildlife rehabilitation center, Bennettfound the time to take the tests. She was a match.On Aug. 31, Bennett went to the Medical University of South Carolina to donate herbone marrow. During the two-and-a-half-hour procedure, enough bone marrow wastaken to save a life.While Bennett does not know much about who is receiving her bone marrow, she doesknow that the recipient is a 13-year-old girl. After a year’s time, and with the parents’consent, she may be able to learn more about the girl who received this life-saving gift.Aplastic anemia is a condition in which the bone marrow stops producing new redblood cells, a condition that could be fatal if left untreated. A bone marrow transplantis the last resort for this condition and is considered to be a painful operation for boththe donor and the recipient. While the donor is under general anesthesia, the surgeoninserts a long needle into incisions made in the lower back above the hips. <strong>The</strong> needlegoes through each incision into the middle of the bone several times, collecting oneto two quarts of bone marrow. <strong>The</strong> recipient receives the bone marrow intravenously,much the way a patient may receive blood. After a week, the recipient undergoes thesame surgery as the donor to determine if the surgery worked.“What I had to go through is nothing compared to what the girl receiving theoperation is going through,” said Bennett. “She is having chemotherapy treatmentsand is quarantined because her immune system is compromised. I am just glad tobe able to help a little girl get better. I also want to be able to encourage others topractice a core part of principled leadership in service to others.”Each year, more than 10,000 people are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases inwhich a bone marrow transplant may be the only option. Of those, 70 percent do notfind a match within their own families. This is where the Be <strong>The</strong> Match Registry andBennett come in.While Bennett received no compensation for her donation, she received a moresatisfying reward—the knowledge that she had saved a little girl’s life.For more information or to sign up for the Be <strong>The</strong> Match Registry, visit the NationalMarrow Donor Program at www.marrow.org.Mary Eve Rochelle BennettHometown:Crawfordville, Fla.Class of:2012Rank:Regimental Human Affairs OfficerCompany:KiloMajor:English with a minor inPsychologyAdditional:Navy Scholarship, Gold Stars (4semesters), Jewish Club member,WASA (Women Actively SeekingAchievement) secretary, PhiKappa Phi, Sigma Tau DeltaIf you are interested in supportingthe efforts of the many students,who, like Rochelle Bennett, arehaving a profound impact oncampus, in the community and inthe world at large through theirleadership and service, pleasevisit foundation.citadel.edu or call800.233.1842.Cadet Jordan Ashley Smith is a senior English major, interning in the Office of ExternalAffairs. After graduation in May, he plans to receive a commission in the U.S. Navy.<strong>The</strong> <strong>Citadel</strong> 2011 59