Swabbing cheeks at senior checkout
Bailey McCue swabs her cheeks to get added to the bone marrow registry list in support of Lukas Larsson. For the second year in a row, this effort was part of senior checkout day at RCHS.
By Elean Gersack; photo courtesy of the Larsson Family
In what might become a tradition on senior checkout day, graduates at Rock Canyon High School (RCHS) once again lined up to swab cheeks in support of Lukas Larsson through Love Hope Strength. “We had a record breaking drive with 226 signed up,” shared Lukas’ mom, Dena. “That’s our best drive in 2 1/2 years. Just incredible young adults these days!”
Lukas was diagnosed in 2013 with pediatric myelofibrosis, a rare and progressive blood disease. He graduated from RCHS last year and is doing well. According to his mom, Lukas traveled to the Mayo Clinic last October where doctors recommended he have his spleen removed. A month later he had it removed at Children’s Hospital Colorado, and he now feels terrific.
“We hope he stays well forever. Meanwhile, we still don’t have a match and will continue doing drives in hopes of finding a lifesaving match, should Lukas ever need to have a bone marrow transplant in the future,” shared Dena.
