Bone Marrow Registration Drive in Honor of Superior Court Judge Carl Fox


Chapel Hill: Superior Court Judge Carl Fox has presided over many cases in his tenure, but he now faces what may be the most difficult case of his life — his own. Judge Fox, a well-known and loved North Carolina public official, is fighting myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a condition in which the body is not able to produce enough healthy new blood cells. Unable to defeat the disease with conventional treatment, Judge Fox needs a bone marrow transplant for a chance to beat his MDS.  With no matching donors in his family though, he has turned to the national registry in the hopes that a stranger can save his life.

Originally from Mount Olive, NC, Judge Fox has worked tirelessly for his local community and state. In his free time, Judge Fox loves to stay fit, play golf and bake shamelessly tasty cheesecakes.  Living with MDS has come with significant changes for Judge Fox’s lifestyle and work habits.  Judge Fox has difficulty maintaining his platelet counts, resulting in weekly transfusions as well as routine bone marrow biopsies.

Judge Fox is now scheduled to have a stem cell transplant from two umbilical cords on September 30th.  “This is the only match that we could find and his physicians stated that this is the best time to move forward,” says Julia Smith, Fox’s girlfriend.  “However, donor registrations need to continue to help find him a donor in case the cord blood stem cells don’t work.”  With nearly 14,000 other people across the country also in need of a donor, Fox’s friends and family will continue to raise awareness and increase participation in the registry.

A registration drive will take place at Holy Innocents Episcopal Church, 210 S. Chestnut Street in downtown Henderson, on Saturday October 10, 2015 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.  Registration is simple and consists of swabbing the inside of the mouth and completing a registration form. Anyone in good health between the ages of 18 to 55 is eligible. Those who are unable to attend the drive may still learn more, register or make a gift online at DeleteBloodCancer.org.

About Delete Blood Cancer

Delete Blood Cancer DKMS is part of the world’s largest network of donor centers. Our mission is to build the number of suitable bone marrow and stem cell donors, because we believe that no life should be lost due to an inability to find a donor match. We have registered more than 5 million potential donors and facilitated more than 51,000 transplants around the world. But we’re not stopping there. We lead the fight against blood cancer by working with families, communities and organizations to recruit donors and provide more patients with second chances at life.

For more information or to register as a bone marrow donor, please visit DeleteBloodCancer.org.