New Jersey Principal Dies After Donating Bone Marrow to a 14-Year Old Stranger
A good deed from a good man resulted to a devastating loss. New Jersey High School principal, Derrick Nelson, went into a coma after he donated bone marrow to a 14-year old boy in France back in February.
CBS News reports:
They say the 44-year-old couldn’t speak or move afterward, and remained in that condition until he died on Sunday. Nelson’s father says it’s still not clear what happened to his son, who was the father of a 6-year-old girl.
Washington Post states:
In his February interview with the student newspaper, Nelson referenced multiple health issues that made his plan to donate stem cells to the teenager more complicated. Because he had sleep apnea, which he had developed while serving in the military, doctors felt it would be unsafe to put him under general anesthesia while they extracted his bone marrow, he said. They initially decided to use intravenous therapy to harvest the stem cells instead.
At his final physical exam on Jan. 21, however, that plan fell apart when Nelson was asked if he had sickle cell anemia. “I said well I don’t have sickle cell, but I have the sickle cell trait,” he told the student paper, recalling that the doctors had told him, “Well if you have the trait, you can’t do stem cell.”
Within a day, the doctors had come up with a new plan, which involved putting him under a local anesthetic that would allow him them to monitor his breathing while they extracted his bone marrow, he said.
According to the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), nearly 99 percent of marrow donors feel completely recovered within a few weeks. A very small percentage of donors — about 2.4% — experience serious complications due to anesthesia or damage to bone, nerve, or muscle in their hip region.
Although bone marrow transplant and donation has very minimum complications, no medical procedure is risk-free.
Friends of Derrick said that he didn’t know the teen he was donating to but that was just the type of person he’s remebered as being. He has been described as a man with immense character and who was selfless, having served in the Army Reserve for more than 20 years.
To one student, Nelson was someone who “always tried to lift people up instead of bringing them down” and “was always there for support rather than discipline even though that was part of his job.”
Another student added, “I can’t name a single person that didn’t like him.”
The gracious donor had served as principal at Westfield High School since February of 2017
School Superintendent Dr. Margaret Dolan said Nelson was “a gift to Westfield High School.”
“He had a strong moral compass, perhaps strongest moral compass I have ever experienced,” Dr. Dolan said.
Nelson is survived by his parents, fiance, and 6-year-old daughter. The school will have counselors on hand this week for students and parents about how to deal with death.
Derrick’s love will live on through his acts of kindness. May his beautiful soul rest in peace.
