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cover of episode Match Made in Marrow

Match Made in Marrow

2025/1/3
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Janelle Jenney
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Jim Monroe
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Janelle Jenney: Janelle 在18岁时自愿加入骨髓捐献者登记处,并最终成为Jim Monroe的唯一匹配者。她是一位无神论者,虽然不认同Jim的基督教信仰,但她认为他们的故事超越了宗教,体现了人性中的善良与连接。Janelle 在Jim的表演中感到自己是冒牌货,因为她不认同Jim的信仰,但她仍然愿意参与其中,因为她相信这个故事能够激励更多人加入骨髓捐献的行列。 Jim Monroe: Jim 是一位基督教魔术师,他将Janelle的骨髓捐献视为上帝存在的证据。Jim 认为他不应该评判Janelle的信仰,尽管他坚信基督教是唯一的真理。Jim 的故事和表演将Janelle的捐献与基督教的复活故事联系在一起,他认为这是上帝在他生命中的奇迹。

Deep Dive

Key Insights

What is the significance of the bone marrow donation between Jennell Jenney and Jim Munroe?

Jennell Jenney's bone marrow donation saved Jim Munroe's life, who was suffering from acute lymphoblastic leukemia. The donation was a perfect match out of an 8-million-person registry, making it a rare and life-saving connection.

What are the odds of finding a perfect bone marrow match like Jennell and Jim's?

The odds of finding a perfect 10/10 bone marrow match are around 50%, but the likelihood of finding any match ranges between 66% and 97%. Jennell being the one perfect match out of 8 million people is statistically staggering, akin to winning a lottery.

How did Jennell Jenney feel about being seen as a religious symbol in Jim Munroe's story?

Jennell felt like an imposter and struggled with the role she played in Jim's narrative, which framed her as a religious symbol. As an atheist, she found it difficult to reconcile her actions with the Christian interpretation of her donation as a miracle.

What is the process of donating bone marrow as described by Jennell Jenney?

Jennell underwent a process where she received eight injections to boost her white blood cell count, causing significant discomfort. Her stem cells were then harvested through a six-hour procedure where her blood was drawn, filtered for stem cells, and returned to her body.

How did Jim Munroe interpret his recovery from leukemia in a religious context?

Jim saw his recovery as a divine intervention, interpreting the timing of his transplant (three days after his birthday) and the perfect match with Jennell as biblical echoes, specifically referencing the resurrection of Jesus on the third day.

Chapters
Janelle Jenney, a photographer, signed up to be a bone marrow donor at a rock concert. Six months later, she was contacted about being a perfect match for a 29-year-old man with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. She donated bone marrow, and a year later, she connected with the recipient, Jim Munroe, discovering their unexpected similarities and differences.
  • Janelle Jenney signed up to be a bone marrow donor.
  • She was a perfect match for Jim Munroe, a 29-year-old man with leukemia.
  • They connected a year after the donation, discovering unexpected commonalities and differences.

Shownotes Transcript

In an episode first reported in 2017, we bring you what may be, maybe the greatest gift one person could give to another. 

You never know what might happen when you sign up to donate bone marrow. You might save a life… or you might be magically transported across a cultural chasm and find yourself starring in a modern adaptation of the greatest story ever told.

One day, without thinking much of it, Jennell Jenney swabbed her cheek and signed up to be a donor.  Across the country, Jim Munroe desperately needed a miracle, a one-in-eight-million connection that would save him. It proved to be a match made in marrow, a bit of magic in the world that hadn’t been there before.  But when Jennell and Jim had a heart-to-heart in his suburban Dallas backyard, they realized they had contradictory ideas about where that magic came from. Today, an allegory for how to walk through the world in a way that lets you be deeply different, but totally together. 

This piece was reported by Latif Nasser.  It was produced by Annie McEwen, with help from Bethel Habte and Alex Overington.

Special thanks to Dr. Matthew J. Matasar, Dr. John Hill, Stephen Spellman at CIBMTR, St. Cloud State University’s Cru Chapter, and Mandy Naglich.

Join Be The Match's bone marrow registry here: https://join.bethematch.org)

EPISODE CREDITS: Reported by - Latif NasserProduced by - Annie McEwenwith help from - Bethel Habte, and Alex Overington

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