Page 28 - APRIL 2019 FOP MAGAZINE

Answering the call
16th District officer’s donation aims to save life of man in Italy
■ BY DAN CAMPANA
The hip soreness, the stiff back and the overall feeling of be- ing physically drained that affected Chicago Police Officer Joe Deleon for several days provided him with some perspective.
“This is a fraction of what a cancer patient goes through,” said Deleon, a 13-year CPD veteran.
In early March, Deleon underwent an approximately 90-min- ute procedure during which surgeons went through pin-sized holes in both of his hips to extract bone marrow. His stem cells immediately went to help save the life of a 62-year-old man with leukemia living in Italy.
“All my healthy stem cells are now reproducing in him,” Dele- on explained, adding that doctors told him the man’s chances of survival went from essentially zero to 60 percent thanks to the bone marrow donation.
As amazing as all that is, how it transpired — and how long it took to do so — is equally fascinating. Almost 13 years ago, De- leon did a simple cheek swab that entered his DNA into a bone marrow registry maintained by Be The Match, the global leader in bone marrow transplantation. That put Deleon on the radar as a potential donor. Fast forward to 2017, when the call finally came: Deleon was the only match for the Italian man.
“I had forgotten about the whole thing,” Deleon acknowl- edged. “Once I was called, I wasn’t backing down.”
From the time of that first call through the recent procedure, Deleon underwent a battery of tests to ensure that he was a healthy donor and able to physically endure the process. He also faced a series of stops and starts. As the Italian man’s doc- tors explored every possible treatment option, at least twice De- leon was put on notice that the procedure would be imminent, only to have it put on hold for one reason or another. Each time, Deleon went in for blood draws, EKGs, X-rays and heart tests.
“They make sure your heart is strong enough, that there’s no disease in your blood. They put me through the whole process,” Deleon said.
Deleon’s Be The Match contact also regularly spoke with him about whether he was still willing to go through with the do- nation. Despite the roller coaster of uncertainty, Deleon stayed committed by focusing on work.
“I occupied myself mentally and tried not to think about [the donation process],” he explained. “If I would have backed out, he was already at zero percent [chance of survival].”
Things accelerated quickly in early 2019 — Deleon even thought he may have to travel to Italy for the surgery to shorten the time it would take to get the bone marrow to the recipient. In the end, Deleon had the procedure done at Loyola University Medical Center, with a medical transport crew standing by to take the bone marrow overseas.
Deleon earned media attention for his selfless act. Although he didn’t get involved with Be The Match for any personal gain, he now realizes the power of sharing his story, especially among his colleagues. The reason is simple: he and many others he’s worked with in the 25th District (and recently the 16th) know someone who has battled cancer. Some didn’t survive. So, he chose to be more open about it and encourage others to get in- volved.
“They were thrilled, especially the people in the 16th,” Dele-
Joe Deleon has his blood drawn before the bone marrow transplant proce- dure in March.
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Deleon, third from left, with Chicago Police Officers.
on said, adding that his daughter even registered as a potential donor as well.
Deleon was back in the swing of things by late March after a less-than-arduous recovery, compared to the time he suffered a knee injury and dealt with months of physical therapy. What struck him most after the procedure was how “pale and sickly” he looked, because his body needed iron. So, he loaded up on red meat, spinach and kale as part of his bounce-back diet.
“I had a craving for salads,” he said with a chuckle. “I feel fine now.”
It will be up to the Italian man whether he chooses to contact his donor, and Deleon is at peace with that.
“I’ll probably never know ... the guy. My thing is, I hope for the [best]. It was not a waste of time,” Deleon said. “It’s almost the same as what I do working every day in Chicago.”