By Beth Ades
Excitement is in the air the first night of the season. There is the first look at the freshly built and wrapped cars, the smiles on faces as we see race friends we haven’t seen since the close of the last season.
But the season opener of 2021 was nothing like we had envisioned. No friendly greetings, no hugs, no excitement…only fear and uncertainty. I had just learned my platelets were critically low, which spurred a trip to the ER and the first of many hospital stays. Shortly after, other blood counts began to drop. I was in and out of the hospital, doctor’s offices, and the transfusion chair with no answers. Each day as I grew weaker, the worry grew stronger. I could no longer attend racing events for my safety, or any other events for that matter. More than seven months later, I received my diagnosis, Myelodysplastic Syndrome, (MDS). The rush to find a stem cell donor was pressing as we prepared to move to another state for my transplant and the 100 days post-transplant treatment. A 10/10 match was located, a 19-year-old, donated her stem cells. I received my stem cell transplant on February 17, 2022, and I am so happy to report that I am doing great!
Each race engine that we have built has a painted block, with Haylee choosing the color, and then named. We’ve had Goldie Locks, Black Betty, and Betty White, to name a few. This year, Haylee was adamant to have the race engine block painted red, and so O+ was its name. I said to Justin, “Wouldn’t it be fun to have an entire car dedicated to my blood donors and my stem cell donor?” His response was, ‘I’m in 100%’. Over the winter, the Blood Tribute Car was born, featuring NMDP and Life Serve (the blood donation centers in my state) to pay tribute to the wonderful people who work for these organizations, the blood donors, and my stem cell donor. Without all of them, I wouldn’t be alive today.
She’s built and wrapped and maybe the most beautiful car I have ever seen. And so, three years later, I am stepping back into our racing world. I love seeing Haylee learn about racing and getting dirty. Justin is busy patiently showing her how to set tire pressure and torque lug nuts, a smile brimming on his face. And this mama’s heart about to explode with love watching the two of them together. Our passion and respect for the sport of racing is now met with our new passion, helping others through their transplant journey.
Our goal is to reach others, possibly some who have never thought of donating blood or getting on the bone marrow registry through a real-life billboard set to a speed of 100 mph. If we can help educate and take the scary stigma out of blood and stem cell donation to help even one person, it will all be worth it!