A Surgeon's Second Chance: Leukemia, a Stranger in Germany, and the Registry That Saves Lives
9/21/2026
Navarro Regional will host a National Marrow Donor Registry event on September 29, inviting the community to participate with a simple cheek swab and potentially save a life. After experiencing leukemia firsthand, Navarro Regional Hospital general surgeon Dr. Harold Campbell knows the impact a donor can have.
Dr. Campbell is usually the one guiding patients through medical diagnoses, worry and uncertainty. This February, those roles were reversed as the physician became the patient. "I started seeing these areas in my central vision," Dr. Campbell recalls. A visit to his colleague, ophthalmologist Dr. Raja Goli, revealed bilateral retinal hemorrhages; a finding, Dr. Goli explained, that's usually caused by one of two things: endocarditis, or leukemia. Bloodwork confirmed the latter: chronic myeloid leukemia in blast crisis, a dangerous blood cancer that begins in the bone marrow.
Dr. Campbell’s disease had already progressed into a phase with a near-certain chance of returning if not treated aggressively. Given the nature of the disease, Dr. Campbell’s medical team made the call: a stem cell transplant was the only path with a real chance of keeping the leukemia from coming back for good.
Dr. Campbell received an infusion of donated stem cells in July. Unlike the bone marrow harvests of decades past, modern donation is far less invasive for the donor, and cells are collected from the bloodstream rather than the marrow itself. Once infused, they find their own way home. "They magically migrate," Dr. Campbell says. "Your bone marrow sends signals to attract the stem cells, and they migrate to the bone marrow, and set up shop and start making new cells."
Dr. Campbell received his donated stem cells from a 39 year old male living in Germany. Due to privacy rules, these are the only details provided to patients. After two years, a transplant recipient may contact the donor anonymously through a transplant coordinator.
Recovery wasn't simple. Two weeks in the hospital turned into more chemotherapy, then a discharge, then a readmission for fevers. Radiation and chemo took a toll, causing him to lose weight and muscle mass. Today, the news is good. The most recent bone marrow biopsy showed complete remission. Zero leukemia cells. Doctors will continue monitoring with annual biopsies, but the real milestone is two years away; if remission holds that long, the odds of recurrence drop significantly.
Here's the part of the story Dr. Campbell finds almost hard to believe: long before any of this happened, as a freshman in college, Dr. Campbell joined the National Marrow Donor Registry at an event much like the one coming up at Navarro Regional Hospital. He was swabbed on the inside of his cheek, signed up, and moved on with life, never expecting to need a donor personally.
Dr. Campbell, still rebuilding strength and immunity after the transplant, may not attend the event in person, but he shares this message: “Leukemia doesn't discriminate. It can happen to anyone. Joining the registry costs a few minutes and a cheek swab. For someone else, it could mean everything. I didn't know that I would live to see my little kids grow up. If you have the opportunity to help save someone's life, I would encourage you to take it."
The donor registration event is scheduled for Tuesday, September 29, 2026 in the Navarro Regional Hospital Cafe from 10:30 A.M. to 1:00 P.M. It is open to anyone ages 18-35. No commitment beyond the initial swab is required to join the registry.
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