UNIONVILLE, N.C. — Just nine months after Loryn Griffin started experiencing a series of medical episodes, a miracle is expecting to help Griffin turn a corner.
A girl in Germany donated some new bone marrow for Loryn, a member of Roanoke Baptist Church in Unionville, on Monday (Dec. 1) and is expected to be transplanted into Loryn today (Wednesday, Dec. 3).
The day that Loryn found out about the bone marrow donation happened to fall on her husband’s birthday.
“It just felt like a little hug from God saying ‘Hey. I’ve got you. Here’s your chance,” Loryn said. “It’s just a special day because this is clearly the day my husband was born 34 years ago. It could’ve been any day, but the fact that it was his birthday was pretty cool, like, it’s just, you know, God’s in the details and I feel like that’s where he’s been through all of this.”
This Saturday at Roanoke Baptist Church, the church is holding a blood drive and as a part of that drive, Gift of Life will be there and testing anyone that is willing to be tested to be a stem cell or bone marrow donor. The test consists of a cheek swab. Their target group is people aged 18 to 35.
A couple of matches were found for Loryn and the person who donated was one of those matches.
“She initially said no, so we continued to pray and while Loryn was waiting for a match and for someone to change their mind and come back and said they would donate, it’s been an object of prayer,” Roanoke Baptist Church Pastor Lynn Coble said. “We see it as an answered prayer. We are praying for that person even though we don’t know who she is.”
Loryn was diagnosed with aplastic anemia, a condition that happens when a bone marrow stops making enough new blood cells, according to the Mayo Clinic’s website. Conditions can leave people tired and expose people to infections and uncontrolled bleeding.
Aplastic anemia is usually diagnosed through bone marrow biopsies and blood tests involving red blood cells and white blood cells.
Throughout Loryn’s battle, she was also diagnosed with bone marrow failure and Paroxysmal Nocturnal Hemoglobinuria (PNH), a rare, acquired blood disorder where the immune system attacks and destroys red blood cells. She had to receive blood transfusions and get blood or platelets in order to sustain herself, something she has done since March.
“The only thing that would help her overcome this condition is that transplant so we as a church began to pray, and this community began to pray, and we have continued to and in waiting for this answer prayer,” Coble said. “We are excited that this is taking place over there today and we’re praying over her for the transplant on Wednesday and for her recovery.”
Loryn, a mother of two children, will be in the hospital for the next couple of months. She said she wants to be back home so she can nurture her children, to help them grow to God and to teach them about Jesus.
“I’m hoping the Lord shows off, and I can set a record and be out of here quickly,” Loryn said. “Mentally, I am used to being outside doing all the things.”
Coble’s prayer is that “this will be successful and that she’ll have the opportunity to do just that to experience those children growing up becoming young adults and being able to teach them as they grow.”
The public is invited to stop by Roanoke Baptist Church on Saturday (Dec. 7), 618 Roanoke Church Road, Unionville, to donate blood. The church is asking for prayers for Loryn and her family in the coming months.
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