MIRANDA DRIVING FOR A MATCH
Davies senior hosting Bone Marrow drive on March 2
LINCOLN – In early May 2013, after her freshman year at St. Raphael Academy, Gina Miranda decided to transfer to the William M. Davies Career & Technical High School. She did so for what she claimed many would think a “stupid” reason.
“My best friend, Yubelkis Leonardo, was at Davies, and I wanted to be with her,” she grinned. “I'm also not a very religious person, and I had to take some religion classes at St. Ray's. I didn't want to do that.”
What only a few select people did know was that, deep down inside, Miranda – then a tender 14 – truly wished to someday become involved in the medical field, and that the school on Breakneck Hill Road could deliver her that dream. After all, it was well-known for its stellar Certified Nursing Assistant and like programs.
“I wanted to go into medicine because I like helping people,” stated Miranda, now a talented, not to mention supremely mature, Davies Tech senior student-athlete. “After all, without health, you have nothing.
“What moved me (in that direction) was, my freshman year, my grandmother was diagnosed with stomach cancer. I didn't know it at the time, but my 'vovo' [grandmother] had two years to live. That happened right after I decided to transfer.
“My mom (Noemia Semedo) kept telling me 'Vovo is fine, nothing's wrong,'” she added. “I guess she was trying to protect me, kept telling me I shouldn't worry, but I did anyway. I knew something was affecting my vovo, and every time I saw her, I thought I'd cry. Vovo would tell me, 'Gina, I'm fine.' I knew it wasn't true. I wanted to get mad, but I knew I couldn't ruin whatever secret she had, so I'd just hug her.
“Her face is so sweet, I'd believe anything she said, or at least want to. I later learned two-thirds of her stomach were taken out, but she survived, and now she's, like, 82. I'm so grateful, and that's just one reason I chose to undertake this project.”
It's a lofty goal for sure, but it's also official: As part of her senior project, a necessity to graduate, Miranda will conduct a Bone Marrow Registry Drive on Wednesday, March 2, between 12:30-4 p.m. inside the school's gymnasium.
Now comes the hard part: Trying to get her teachers, administrators and coaches, as well as the public, to buy into it.
After a great deal of research and work with the R.I. Blood Center, “BeTheMatch.org” and Michael's Fund, Miranda is hoping to help save the life of a Bridgeport, Conn. girl named Tyeler.
“I haven't met her yet, but I will, and I can't wait,” Miranda beamed. “I heard about her through Jennifer St. Peter, one of the representatives of BeTheMatch.org, and Nauman Malik, who works at the R.I. Blood Center. I met Nauman on Oct. 28 and explained to him my project, and he did a double-take.
“He told me high school kids have done a lot of blood donor projects in the past, but had never seen someone trying to set up a whole bone marrow drive,” she continued. “I then called Jennifer and told her the basics of the project. I asked her, 'Do you know of anyone I can help?'' I met her on Dec. 14 here at school, and she brought me this flier. That's when I read the story about Tyeler.
“I became so much more motivated to help her; she's beautiful! You see a little kid like that who needs help, and it just tugs on your heart strings.”
The flier read: “Tyeler is a beautiful, brilliant, lively, fun 11-year-old (who) enjoys watching movies, video games and spending time with her four older siblings. Tyeler has only ever had one wish – to be a 'normal' kid.
“Tyeler was born with Sickle Cell Disease (SCD), an inherited blood disorder that affects red blood cells. SCD is a lifelong condition, and the only available cure is bone marrow transplantation, which is not widely offered as a treatment (despite its 85 percent cure rate). In her short 11 years, Tyeler has undergone numerous hospitalizations and blood transfusions. She has had her spleen removed and been diagnosed with sickle cell retinopathy, which can lead to permanent damage of the retina.
“It has become increasingly clear to her physicians that their ability to treat her is limit- ed, and they have advised the family that it is time to consider bone marrow transplantation … None of Tyeler's siblings proved to be a match for her, and there are currently no matches on the National Registry. Could you be her cure?”
Miranda, an outstanding basketball player who will soon earn her third varsity letter, first knew she wanted to pursue a position in the medicine shortly after her ninth birthday, long before her grandmother's victory over stomach cancer.
“My mom had to have her spinal disks realigned; with me being just a kid, I wanted to help but knew I couldn't,” she recalled. “All I could do was say, 'Mom, do you want some kisses?'”
Fast forward to her first year at Davies, her sophomore outing. She wanted to choose the CNA/health-related major, but couldn’t because of her late transfer.
“I could only choose as a field of interest either bio-manufacturing technician or biology technician because everything else was filled up,” she said. “I was in Bio-Tech for a week, but I kept pushing, and – with help from my guidance counselor, Mrs. (Patricia) Tarpy – I finally got into Health Careers.
“I was late coming into it, so I had a half-year of work to make up. I got that done in a couple of weeks.”
As a junior, she already had decided upon her idea for a senior project, and long-time physical/health educator Henry Cabral helped her narrow it down.
“I brought up the fact of how prevalent cancer was, and he said, ' What about kids?'” she stated. “The more I thought about it, I figured leukemia was too broad a subject. I did more research on leukemia, and I saw under ‘Suggested search options’ one listing: ' Bone marrow.' That's when I knew.”
With more study, she soon realized she would be unable to participate in her own drive because she's too young.
“It's illegal for anyone under 18; you can donate blood, but not marrow because it's too serious,” she scowled. “That upset me; it depressed me. My uncle had been diagnosed with some type of spinal cancer the previous October. I just thought, 'Oh, my project! What am I going to do now?' But then I discovered BeTheMatch.org. I thought they could help.
“I really got serious about it last June, and stuck with it,” she continued. “Mr. Cabral told me I had to contact the R.I. Blood Center and get a date to promote my project, meaning I had to contact a newspaper. That's when I talked to our athletic director, Chris Piasczyk.”
Offered Piasczyk: “I told her, 'Whatever you need, I'll help.' That's when I called The Times. Let's put it this way: Other students have come to me with their project ideas, and they'd say they want to conduct an athletic tournament to help some cause, but Gina's the first who wanted to bring awareness to not only the school about how many people need bone marrow transplants, but also the community.
“It's brilliant, and so selfless. I'm so proud of her.”
The drive originally had been set for Friday, Jan. 29, at Davies, but Miranda knew she couldn't do it then.
“I realized it wouldn't work because I have a game that night, and I wanted to be truly focused (on both endeavors),” she explained. “That's why I asked Nauman and Jennifer if I could change it. I didn't want to let my teammates down.
“I also wanted to do it during the last period of the school day; that way I could get more teachers and administrators involved, as well as students over 18. I want to attract not only Davies' kids, but those from other local schools.”
Call that vintage Miranda – she's as dedicated to the Patriots' varsity girls basketball team as to her academic pursuits. According to head coach Joe Handy, the tall, lanky center leads the Pats in points scored (14.4), rebounds (11) and blocks (4.5) per game, and is the consummate team captain.
Then there's the fact she holds a 3.4 GPA (out of a 4.0 total), and ranks extremely high in her class.
“I think she's a class act, but she's always been one,” Handy noted. “What she's doing is so admirable. She told me at the beginning of the season about what she wanted to do, and I thought it was a great idea. I wasn't surprised at all, because when Gina puts her mind to anything, I know she'll accomplish it. That's just her. She defines the word 'Leader.'” Laughing, Miranda replied, “I'm not so sure.” When asked if she wanted to be a surgeon, she balked at the notion.
“I know I don't want to do anything that involves cutting or opening the body; I don't think my stomach could take it,” she chuckled. “I also don't think I could be a pediatrician. I thought about it for a while, but if they were crying, I'd probably break down with them.
“They say ' Patience is a virtue,' but I don't have any because I have 25 nieces, nephews and little cousins, including second and third cousins, in my family. When we all got together at Christmas, I just couldn't deal.”
She also was asked if she's a heroine of sorts, but scoffed.
“I definitely don't view myself that way,” she said. “Let's put it this way: If somebody helps someone else, isn't he or she a hero? And, if so, aren't we all?”
She hesitated for a moment, then stated firmly, “Maybe I am, but not yet. It should be human nature to help people who need it, shouldn't it? My only goal now is to get as many donors as I can. I want to help Tyeler. That's first and foremost in my mind.”
For more information, call Davies Tech at (401) 728-1500.