Marrow drives set to save local man

Marquette, MI – In 15 minutes, you could possibly save the life of a Marquette man. Mike Willard, who owns White's Party Store on Third Street, has a rare form of cancer called Mantle Cell Lymphoma. Only about
2,000 people are diagnosed with the cancer in North America each year. Mike's dad, Ron Willard, says chemotherapy isn't working for Mike any more, and doctors say a bone marrow transplant is his best hope to beat the cancer. Doctors say Mike has uncommon tissue, caused by a multi-nationality background. Ron Willard says that means a match for Mike's stem cells would most likely be found where others of mixed backgrounds live--in the Upper Peninsula.
Two bone marrow donor drives will take place to see if anyone is a match for Mike's tissue, and to supplement the national stem cell donor list. The first drive is scheduled from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Wednesday at the Ishpeming Armory. The second takes place Thursday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. at Saint Peter Cathedral in Marquette. Donations to offset the cost of testing are encouraged.