Bone marrow drives to be held this month
By Staff Reports
Published in News on July 4, 2015 10:58 PM
Two "Save the Fox" bone barrow screening drives will be held this month on behalf of Superior Court Judge Carl Fox, who is fighting blood cancer.
Fox, who was raised in Mount Olive, was diagnosed in April 2015 with a blood cancer that requires a bone marrow transplant.
Registration is quick and easy -- all it requires is a non-invasive cheek swab and completing some paperwork.
The first screening will be held today from 2 to 6 p.m. as part of the Carver Alumni Association and Friends annual Fourth of July homecoming celebration. Monetary donations will be accepted as well.
The screening will be held in the old auditorium at the Carver Cultural Center -- the former Carver High School campus on South Breazeale Avenue, Mount Olive.
The second screening will be held Saturday, July 18, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Victory Faith Center, 791 U.S. 13 South, where his sister, Angela Fox, attends.
Volunteers will be provided by the church's Men's Fellowship.
Local coordinators for the Mount Olive drive are Bertha Fields (Class of 1965) , 919-661-7652. Comatha Boyette Johnson (Class of 1966), 919-734-1513 and Ruthie Boyette Packenham (Class of 1969), 919-624-8044
"There is a job of service for all and the payoff is rewarding beyond description," Ms. Johnson said. "We encourage all Carver alumni, family, and friends to participate in our endeavor to 'Save the Fox.'"
Cassandra Rush is national Carver Alumni board president.
For more information about the July 18 drive, contact Ms. Fox at 919-288-1617 or 919-273-2880.
The age range for potential donors is 18 to 55.
The age limitations are not meant to discriminate. Federal medical guidelines have been established to protect the safety of the donor and to provide the best possible treatment for the patient.
"We, the members of the Carver Alumni Association and Friends, work to demonstrate unselfish actions to serve those in need," Mrs. Johnson said. "We are aware of the hard-fought struggles endured by those suffering with chronic health disorders.
"Seldom can we provide significant assistance, however, the Carver Alumni is affording Mount Olive, North Carolina, and the Wayne County community the opportunity to make a difference in the life of Carl R. Fox, senior resident Superior Court judge for Judicial District 15B."
Fox is the son of the late Carl L. Fox, who was an agriculture teacher and NFA/FFA adviser, and the late Rachel D. Fox, who was a home economics teacher and NHA/FHA advisor.
His older sister, the late Dr. Janice Fox, graduated in the Carver High School Class of 1965.
His brother, the late Michael Fox, completed fourth grade at Carver, and his younger sister, Angela, completed the sixth grade at Carver.
Fox attended Carver through the eighth grade and graduated from Southern Wayne High School at Dudley in 1971.
He received a bachelor's degree in English from UNC-Chapel Hill in 1975 and his juris doctor from the UNC-Chapel Hill School of Law in 1978.
Fox served as assistant district attorney for Orange and Chatham counties from 1978-1984. He was appointed North Carolina's first black district attorney by Gov. Jim Hunt in 1984.
He was elected as district attorney for Judicial District 15B in 1986 and was re-elected in 1990, 1994, 1998 and 2002.
He was appointed resident Superior Court judge for Judicial District 15B by Gov. Mike Easley in 2005. He was elected to the post in 2006 and re-elected in 2014.
Currently, Fox continues to perform his Superior Court duties, and he continues to be involved in a number of professional and civic organizations.
For more information visit deletebloodcancer.org or log onto Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/groups/8300419237489601/ for ways to support the campaign.