Fans of both Nebraska and Michigan will be locked into the action on the field this Saturday, Sept. 20, cheering on their teams and hoping for victory.
However, two families on opposite sides of the competition already know who has won. A bone marrow transplant brought together a little girl in Nebraska and a medical student from Michigan.
When Julia Morrison, who is now 10 years old, needed a match, the Lincoln girl’s lifesaver came in the form of Erica Brockberg, MD, who now is an OB-GYN in Michigan.
The Morrison and Brockberg families waited, as required, for a year after the transplant. Then the Brockbergs traveled to Lincoln so Morrison and Brockberg could meet.
“I just got out of the car, and Julia ran into my arms and gave me a big hug. It was really special and still is,” Dr. Brockberg recalled of their initial meeting.
This week’s football game between the Huskers and Wolverines just so happens to fall on National Marrow Donor Day.
The Brockbergs and Morrisons will be honored on Tom Osborne Field at Memorial Stadium during halftime, along with Morrison’s care team from the Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center-Nebraska Medical Center. Those on the field will include Chittalsinh Raulji, MD, pediatric oncology/hematology; Amy Brant, case management nurse; and Rebecca Swanson, clinical assistant professor, UNMC.
Mary Nelson of KMTV talked with both families about their special connection in this report.
Learn more about joining the National Marrow Donor Program registry here: Join the Registry | NMDP (Formerly Be The Match)