Our founders, Kayla and Eric, while attending a Goo Goo Dolls concert in Beaumont, TX in 2016, noticed a big red "DKMS" booth and saw that they were on a mission to battle blood cancer. They were asking for people to provide DNA samples (by simply swabbing their cheeks) to grow the registry of potential bone marrow donors for blood cancer patients in need of a donor. With the memory of Gilbert always on their minds, Kayla and Eric both immediatetly seized the opportunity to join the registry.

Fast forward to 2020, in the midst of the global pandemic shutdown, Kayla received a life changing phone call. She was a potential match for a young girl in Oklahoma. Kayla immediately took the necessary steps to ensure she was an ideal match and proceeded with the donation after a battery of tests. A few months later DKMS called again and informed Kayla that her recipient needed a boost and Kayla once again immediately responded and provided her cells for a second donation.

Fast forward again to 2023. DKMS once again called Kayla. This time to invite her and her family to meet her recipient, Miley, and her family for the first time ever at their annual NYC Gala. Lives were changed throughout the entire process, and on that day, Kayla and Eric were determined to do their part to continue doing anything they could to positively impact the lives of anyone facing a blood cancer diagnosis. Thus, SETX Leukemia Organization was born. Please take a moment to watch the video in our success stories to understand how you can profoundly impact the lives of others. All you have to be willing to do is help understand how your small decision can change lives.

Dedication

This Organization, and the work we do, is dedicated to the memory of Gilbert Dejohn, and everyone else who has been affected by blood cancer, or any other type of cancer.