"My cancer is about helping others in need”

At the age of 64, Nick Dombalis received news that changed his life forever. He was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a group of diverse bone marrow disorders in which the bone marrow does not produce enough healthy blood cells.

02/08/2021

At the age of 64, Nick Dombalis received news that changed his life forever. He was diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a group of diverse bone marrow disorders in which the bone marrow does not produce enough healthy blood cells. Now at 66, Nick has undergone chemotherapy for his disease, but he is in serious need of a bone marrow transplant and has not been able to find a match. Nick is of Greek descent, which makes it even more difficult for him to a find a donor who shares his ethnic heritage.

As he waits for a donor, Nick, an attorney and devoted husband and father of four, has been using his cancer as a way to raise awareness and educate people about the significance of joining the national marrow registry. He knows that the more people on the registry, the greater chance of patients like him finding a donor. That’s why he had no trouble “going public” about his cancer since he understood it could possibly help save the lives of others.

Nick has always been the consummate giver and passionate about helping others in need. He supports numerous charitable causes as well as civic, health, and professional organizations, and was awarded the Distinguished Service Award by the Raleigh Jaycees for his service to the community. Now, he continues to wear his benevolent hat by trying to find lifesavers for bone marrow patients who are just as anxious to find a donor as he is.

So far, Nick and his family have helped a large number of people join the database, including 1,000 people in one month alone.

My cancer is about helping others in need,” he says. "It is not a coincidence that when you rearrange the letters of the word 'cancer,' we 'can cure' cancer only with 'u' involved. You can be part of curing blood cancers. We are all in this together.

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