STRANGERS SIGN UP TO SAVE A LIFE MARROW SEARCH DRAWS HUNDREDS AT STREET FAIR.

Byline: Alicia Doyle Daily News Staff Writer

Army reservist Brian Dees had never met Regina Carter, a 29-year-old Desert Storm veteran who was diagnosed with leukemia on Thanksgiving Day in 1992. But shortly after shaking hands with the young woman at a bone-marrow drive Sunday, Dees did what any fellow soldier would do.

``There's a certain camaraderie between soldiers - we always try to help each other out,'' said Dees, 22, of the Ventura County Army Reserves. As he filled out a stack of paperwork to be tested as a potential marrow donor Sunday, Dees smiled at the thought of being the one in 20,000 who could save Carter's life.

``I'd be shocked,'' Dees said. ``Everyone should embrace the opportunity to save someone's life.''

Dees was among a crowd of potential donors who were tested Sunday at a marrow drive set up at the Ventura Holiday Street Festival. Two hours after the drive began, more than 100 people had been tested. Roughly 500 people were expected to participate by the end of the six-hour drive, said Lynnette Chandler, regional coordinator for the Ventura County Branch of the National Marrow Donor Program.

The rewards of donating to a stranger are similar to saving someone from a burning house, Chandler said.

``The (marrow) donor is saving the life of a perfect stranger,'' said Chandler, whose daughter has leukemia. ``People need to help each other, no matter what. Everyone is affected by this.''

In Ventura County, Carter is among 117 people awaiting a compatible donor, according to the National Marrow Donor Program in Minneapolis. Ninety of these people are younger than 20 and from various ethnic backgrounds. An estimated 30,000 children and adults in the United States are diagnosed each year with leukemia, aplastic anemia or other fatal blood diseases, officials said. For many of them, the only hope for survival is a marrow transplant.

If Carter finds one perfect marrow match, her chance at survival is 50 percent. The odds of finding that match - one in 20,000.

However, ``I don't listen to statistics,'' said Carter, who helped recruit donors during Sunday's drive. ``They gave me a year-and-a-half to live when I was diagnosed in 1992. I'm still here.''

A former corrections officer in Ventura County and a member of the National Guard Military Police since 1989, Carter served nine months in the Persian Gulf during Desert Storm and on the streets of Los Angeles during the 1992 riots.

A trained survivor, Carter continued to engage in physically taxing drills despite occasional night sweats and headaches that began in 1991.

By 1992, she was suffering from severe bruising, debilitating weakness and paralyzing headaches. After being diagnosed with leukemia, she filed a claim with the Department of Veterans Affairs. Federal officials denied her claim, however, saying they could not connect Carter's leukemia with her Desert Storm tour because she had not been treated for the fatal disease within one year of her service, according to VA documents.

Carter's appeal is pending.

``I can't worry or get stressed about it or my chance at survival is bad,'' said Carter, who lives in Santa Paula. ``I'm a Christian. The Lord gives everyone a purpose. I didn't know until I got sick that my purpose was to encourage more people to get tested and help save other people's lives.''

Ventura College student Jennifer Robinson just happened to notice the marrow drive sign while browsing through various arts and crafts booths at Sunday's street fair.

``I've always read about marrow donations before, and I've always wanted to do it,'' said the 20-year-old. As she filled out her forms Sunday, Robinson said the split-second pin-prick that it takes to be tested was worth enduring.

``That tiny bit of pain is worth saving someone's life,'' she said.

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4 Photos

Photo: (1--Color) Brian Dees, left, and Marco Gutierrez of the Ventura 6256 U.S. Army Reserves sign up to have their blood tested for a bone-marrow match for Desert Storm veteran and leukemia sufferer Regina Carter.

(2) Eliseo Aianiz advertises tamales for a fund-raiser for the Apostolic Church in Ventura at the Ventura Holiday Street Festival.

(3) East Main Street in downtown Ventura resembled a Middle Eastern bazaar at Sunday's Ventura Holiday Street Festival.

(4) Alex Paul, 5, of Oxnard got his face painted while his mom had her blood drawn for the bone-marrow donor program for Desert Storm veteran Regina Carter.

John Lazar/Special to the Daily News