Be the lifeline: Hoxworth spotlights two local women who need a match
Deneal Dannelly and Emily Sikora are two local women who need your help to save their lives. Are you a match? Keep reading to learn how Hoxworth is involved in more than blood donation in the Greater Cincinnati area and beyond.
Help Deneal find a kidney donor
Deneal Dannelly is 29 years old and living with end-stage renal failure, or kidney disease. She needs a new kidney and hopes YOU can be her donor.
Deneal enjoys walking her dog, biking, spending time outdoors with friends and exploring the Greater Cincinnati region. But most of these activities have become severely limited — or altogether impossible — in recent months. That’s because Deneal needs a kidney now.
Some of her symptoms include fatigue, hair loss, difficulty sleeping and dietary restrictions; she’s had to avoid salty foods, dark sodas and more.
Deneal has known for more than 10 years that she would eventually need a kidney transplant. She was officially placed on the transplant list in March 2024, and her status became active in January. More than 60 people have taken the swab test in hopes of being a match, but for various reasons, none have matched with Deneal.
She also undergoes dialysis for eight hours a day, every day, an incredibly taxing process both physically and emotionally. Yet she continues to show strength, hope and determination throughout her journey.
"Dialysis isn't living, it's existing,” says Deneal. “Living with kidney failure has proven difficult for my day-to-day life. I may appear healthy, but I struggle with extreme fatigue and muscle weakness due to my kidney disease. A living kidney donation would change my life!”
Deneal is currently working with Off the List, an organization dedicated to helping people find living kidney donors. If you’d like to learn more and request a swab to see if YOU are a match, you can follow the link.
Did you know?
An organ transplant recipient may need up to 40 red blood cell units, 30 platelet units and 25 plasma units. Hoxworth is responsible for matching all transplant recipients in the Greater Cincinnati area, in addition to providing the blood products used during the procedure. In 2024, Hoxworth helped facilitate 642 organ transplants.
Help Emily find a stem cell donor
Emily Sikora is dedicated to being the best mom, wife and professional she can be — but she needs a stem cell donor to restore her health and keep moving forward.
Your selfless desire to help those in need brings hope to patients like Emily Sikora. Emily is a 35-year-old wife, mom and creative professional in Cincinnati, Ohio, living with a rare blood cancer called primary myelofibrosis. This affects about one in every 100,000 people. Emily was diagnosed in June 2024 after experiencing severe headaches following the birth of her first son.
Emily’s health is constantly being monitored, but she has been told the cancer will get worse until she finds a stem cell donor. Because most people with her type of cancer are older than 60, she’s navigating through uncharted territory.
Emily says even if you aren’t a match for her, you could save some else’s life through this relatively simple procedure.
“It’s really simple and a low-risk activity, similar to giving blood,” explains Emily, “You have the possibility to save someone’s life facing blood cancer or a blood disorder they can’t survive without a transplant.”
Donors are the only hope people with this type of cancer have. Much like blood, the only source of stem cells is from a human donor. Finding an unrelated donor can be extremely difficult, and the process of searching takes time. The more people like you who register now, the higher the chances Emily and other patients like her have of finding a perfect match. Be that hope for Emily and other patients like her. You can request a swab through DKMS at this link.
Apheresis at Hoxworth saves lives
At Hoxworth Blood Center, the Apheresis and Cellular Therapies Department work with local donors and patients through stem cell transplants and bone marrow transplants. Both departments also work with the National Marrow Donor Program and Gift of Life Donor Program to help patients around the world.
In 2024:
- 10 bone marrow products processed and shipped to patients globally through the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)
- 65 bone marrow products processed and delivered to patients locally for transplants
- 350 stem cell products collected at Hoxworth for local patients
- 100 stem cell products collected for patients around the world for the NMDP and Gift of Life Donor Program
Can you step up for these women?
As a blood donor, you’re already a lifesaver. But for people like Emily and Deneal, your impact could mean even more, a second chance at life. Both women are part of our Tristate community, holding on to hope that someone will step forward and say, “I can help.”
You have the power to be that person. Click the links in this story to learn how you can take the next step and help give Emily and Deneal the healthy, full lives they deserve.