Tami received her stem cell transplant from an anonymous donor in June of 2009. She continues to recover slowly but steadily.

I'd Like to Tell You About My Cousin Tami

She loves to watch her favorite tv shows, goes to concerts, is always up for shopping and enjoys spending time with her family and friends. Chances are she's probably just like one of your best friends, the sister you adore or the colleague you know you can always count on. One of the things that makes Tami so special is that she's one of those people who has made living her life uncomplicated by always naturally doing the right thing. She's a good person with a positive outlook and a generous heart. It's as simple as that.

But who is she to the people who know and love her?

While her mother was living, she was a good daughter and an exceptional student who only ever made her mom proud.

Upon graduating college she began her career working at Boeing as an electrical engineer. Most recently she is the Director of Hardware Operations at an international, internet, technology company.

To her dad, she is his only child and a daughter who has always been there for him. In recent year she has cared for him after he himself has undergone numerous medical procedures.

To her 2 young children she's the adoring mom who's given them a wonderful home and all of the love and stability any child could ever hope for. Once a donor is located, she'll need to be away from home for at least 4 months or more to receive and recover from her transplant.

To Don she's his partner in life, always up for spending time at home, hosting holiday parties or happy to pack up the kids and head out on a family vacation.

And to the those who have known her all of our lives she's a true friend, the cousin who is more like a sister to her cousins and the niece who is like a daughter to her aunties and uncles.

To her friends, she's always been a loyal confidant and to her colleagues she's a full time working mom who is the level-headed gal that everyone has always been able to turn to for help.

And to everyone who has had the good fortune to know her she has always been the person we could all, family, friend or colleague, rely upon in any moment of need. That's so rare, to know someone is always there for you unconditionally.

It was in late January 2009 when Tami's normal life, her world, began to be turned upside down.

After catching the flu in late January, Tami began suffering from extreme fatigue. When the feelings of exhaustion didn't subside she went to her doctor.

Tests confirmed that her white and red blood cell and blood platelet counts were all low. A bone marrow biopsy was negative for leukemia. Shortly after, her white count and platelet count increased spontaneously. No diagnosis other then anemia was made at that time.

Subsequently she began experiencing nausea, indigestion and high fevers. A trip to the ER and it was determined all of her blood counts were low again as well as her blood pressure. She was admitted to ICU for 2 days then moved to a regular hospital room for 5 additional days. During the course of the following week many tests were conducted including a second bone marrow biopsy. 7 days later her doctor came to her with a 98% certainty diagnosis that she is suffering from myelodysplastic syndrome also commonly known as myelodysplasia, MDS and "Pre" Leukemia. A few more tests and she was given a final diagnosis that she did indeed have Myelodysplasia.

Looking back now It's hard to believe what's happened in the past few weeks. It's all happened so quickly and her condition is progressing so rapidly her doctors want to perform a stem cell/marrow transplant as soon as possible. Because for 1 out of 3 patients MDS progresses to leukemia there is a definite sense of urgency in finding a marrow match for her before this happens.

A Plea

We're all pulling together to help her but there's only so much we, her friends and family can do. We need your help too. We need you to tell people about Tami, her website and the nationwide mail-in bone marrow drive we are launching to look for a match, not just for Tami but, for any of the 6000 people all seeking their second chance, their miracle match, that will give them the opportunity to overcome whatever disease they are suffering from whether it's Myelodysplasia, Leukemia, Aplastic Anemia or any marrow disease that is robbing them of their health and well being.