
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, September 13, 1994                   TAG: 9409130083
SECTION: VIRGINIA                    PAGE: B2   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: MATT CHITTUM
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Short

LEUKEMIA CLAIMS LIFE OF 9-YEAR-OLD

A 9-year-old Roanoke County boy with leukemia died Sunday at the University of Virginia Hospital despite a bone marrow transplant from his father and a community effort to fly him and his family to Iowa for the surgery.

Jason Terpenny came through the transplant surgery successfully and returned to Roanoke with his family two weeks ago, only to be infected by a virus that forced his temperature up and eventually led to his death, said the family's pastor, the Rev. Kirk Ballin of the Unitarian Universalist Church.

"To be raised up so high and then to crash so suddenly, you can only just imagine what that feels like to a parent," Ballin said.

The story of the Terpenny's ordeal was told in a March newspaper story. Wally Terpenny, Jason's father, had insurance that paid for Jason's surgery, but the surgery was to be performed in Iowa City, Iowa.

The Terpennys were able to fly to Iowa, including several extra trips by Wally because he was the bone marrow donor, on tickets purchased with frequent flier miles donated by Roanoke area residents.

Ballin said the efforts to get Jason the transplant were not wasted, because the surgery did actually save Jason's life.

Besides, he added, "Sometimes it's the loss of life that brings out the life in others."

Keywords:
FATALITY

by CNB