Section
Pepperdine Links
Online Publications
Imitating the life of a leukemia patient is an impossible task, but Pepperdine freshmen Brian LeBlanc and Andrew Burke locked themselves in bed for five days to get a dose of what leukemia patients like 4-year-old Rachel Morgan must face.
To raise money for those like Morgan, students from Rho and Fifield Dorms participated in Locked In for Leukemia, a philanthropy program initiated by Residential Advisors Lucas Cherry, Marcus Rodriguez and Katie Plummer.
Energetic and playful, one would never guess Morgan has battled leukemia. Diagnosed just before she turned 3, Morgan was in and out of chemotherapy for two years, at times isolated in her hospital room from all outside contact, kept away out of fear for her lowered immune defenses.
“I was sick in my blood ... Jesus made me better,” Morgan said at the Leukemia Awareness meeting in Debell Hall on Monday.
Proudly displaying her two new teeth, she seems like any other 4-year-old. But unlike other children, Morgan has dealt with a rare form of leukemia – AML, or Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. She had a 50 percent chance of living at age 3.
Confined to their beds, Leblanc and Burke were visited by Morgan and her mother, Jennifer. As part of the Locked In for Leukemia fundraiser, the Pepperdine students stayed in bed to experience what some leukemia patients go through in the hospital. Mother and daughter Morgan hope to educate others on how this disease can still be beat, and raise awareness on how close doctors may be to a cure.
“Support is critical for this condition,” Jennifer Morgan said. “The medical process and feasibility of healing is amazing. If caught early with a good prognosis, it is very treatable.”
Visiting on the fourth day of the five-day long bed-post, mother and daughter put the students’ plight in perspective.
“They put more of a human face to what I was sitting in bed for,” Burke said. “I can’t imagine what they go through – this doesn't even compare.”
The money raised, $2,800 so far, will go toward medical expenses at a hospital where it can make considerable impact.
“I don’t know how much $2,800 is to them, but I feel any amount is good to bring attention to the cause,” LeBlanc said.
A table was set up in the cafeteria last week, collecting pledges dedicated to Locked In for Leukemia.
Burke and Leblanc remained in their dorm rooms – without toilets, television, Internet and many other necessities we take for granted. Leblanc and Burke also faced using a bedpan for the span of their experience.
Suitemates of Leblanc and Burke had to continually empty the “bucket” and bring them food and drink from Pepperdine’s cafeteria.
“People were all grossed out about the bucket, otherwise they were pretty supportive,” LeBlanc said.
Time slipped by steadily for LeBlanc, who had several books to keep him company over the course of the lock-in.
The hardest part for Burke was boredom. The first day he slept 14-15 hours which resulted in insomnia the next day. At times he said he was so sick of reading books and doing homework he would just stare at the wall. Burke originally was opted into the philanthropy event because he missed a hall meeting. His mother, however, had lost a friend to leukemia and now he is glad he’s in a position to aid patients still struggling.
While these students are getting a sense of what it is to be isolated for five days, Rachel Morgan had to be inside a hospital room for up to two months at a time. She attended the Children’s Hospital of Orange County, which her mother said tried to ease the pain by fine tuning activities to the attention of a child.
“The hospital made it as normal and fun as it could be,” Jennifer Morgan said. “There was a school on her floor. People were generous enough to bring toys, she watched movies ... it made the days go by quicker.”
“God is trying to teach me, in every tragedy there is opportunity to learn,” Jennifer Morgan said. “It is hard being so close to death, I had to be able to let go if I had to. I had to be able to put her in Jesus Christ's hands.”
A tube was connected to the left atrium of Rachel Morgan's lung to deliver medicine. No radiation or chemotherapy was administered. In her case, the treatment has a 16-year-old history during which they have improved and standardized to administer the same treatment across the United States.
“Those nurses are angels and the doctors are heroes,” Jennifer Morgan said.
Leblanc and Burke, along with all those who supported the Locked In for Leukemia Program, will be supporting those doctors Rachel Morgan relied so heavily upon.
Next, participants will visit the same Orange County Children’s Hospital where Rachel Morgan stayed.
“We want to open up residents’ minds to think creatively and be resourceful,” RA Rodriguez said.
Suitemates of Leblanc contest that Locked In for Leukemia news spread quickly and they are proud they could take part. Rho and Fifield dorms joined forces for a single philanthropy cause and each participant took their task seriously. Residents saw its impact.
“It was real successful,” Jordan Benshoof, Leblanc’s freshman suitemate said. “I was talking to older kids who lived off campus in the café and they had heard about it …even volunteered to help. Sounds like it got out to more people than we expected.”
Currently in remission, Rachel Morgan has been free of leukemia for a year and a half. After five years without trace, she will be considered cured. She’s battled tough odds, her mother said.
“I was infertile and asked friends to pray for us,” Jennifer Morgan said. “Rachel was a miracle in her birth. When she was diagnosed with leukemia, doctors projected it would take longer for her treatment, but she healed well. It's a miracle she's here so far.”
Volunteers in Lockdown for Leukemia hope to help doctors create other stories like Rachel Morgan.
“Someday there will be a pill to cure it, we're not that far away, leukemia is not a death sentence.” Jennifer Morgan said.
Submitted February 06, 2003
MALIBU, CA
