Sheriff Dept. Seeks Bone Marrow for Ill Officer

Most of the blood samples taken Thursday by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department won’t be for evidence, but for the chance to save a life.

The agency is sponsoring a bone marrow drive to find a potential donor for Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Sgt. Sylvia Smith, 46.

Smith, a 19-year member of the department, has already fought off cancer twice, but the chemotherapy brought about a condition similar to leukemia and left her needing a marrow transplant, said Orange County Sheriff’s Lt. Ron Wilkerson.

Wilkerson said the department wants to register as many potential donors as possible, so “if they can’t help her, maybe they can help somebody else.”

The drive is being held in memory of James Kotzbauer, an Orange County sheriff’s deputy for 27 years who died of leukemia Feb. 6, 1996.

Registration takes only a minute, during which two small blood samples are taken. They’re sent to a laboratory to see if the donor is a match for anyone who needs bone marrow.

The donors’ names are then kept on a computerized registry until they reach age 61.

The bone-marrow drive will run from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. at the Orange County Sheriff’s Department headquarters, 550 N. Flower St., Santa Ana.

Information: Sheriff’s Investigator Teri Deegan, (714) 647-7419.