Marc Murray had his plans made. His departure date for boot camp was set. Marc wanted to serve his country during a time of war and had enlisted in the Navy. But life had other plans.

Marc said he wasn’t feeling well and knew something was wrong, but the diagnosis of acute myeloid leukemia (AML) was a shock and has changed his life. Marc received his first chemotherapy treatment in Syracuse near his hometown of Tully. Medical complications kept him in the hospital for seven months. Remission and relapse are common for AML patients. When Marc relapsed in April 2008, he was referred to Roswell Park, where chemotherapy once again put his cancer into remission and gave his doctors the time necessary to prepare him for a blood and marrow transplant (BMT). Marc found a suitable donor through the National Marrow Donor Registry.

“All I know is that she is a 32-year-old international female,” said Marc. “It is remarkable to think I have a new immune system, a new blood type, a new chance at life due to this unselfish donor.”

Halfway across the state from friends and family, Marc continues to recover from the transplant while staying at the Kevin Guest House. He participates in the Roswell Park Artists-in- Residence Program in which regional artists offer diversions to patients. Marc had played guitar on and off for 12 or 13 years. Through the artist program, he has been jamming in the hospital with Stuart Fuchs, one of the program’s artists, reviving his love of music.

“I don’t know if I would ever have started playing again. You can get in kind of a slump in this situation. It’s really good to branch out and try other things and use your time valuably,” said Marc.

Marc is making plans again, hoping to be home for Christmas. This young patriot and historian found his message of hope for the holidays in a quote from President Theodore Roosevelt: “Believe you can and you're halfway there.”