Staff Writer

ONEONTA — Family and friends of area teacher Donna Thienpont are mustering financial and moral support to aid in Thienpont's battle against leukemia.

Thienpont, a teacher in the Cherry Valley-Springfield Central School District for 23 years, is a patient at a Boston-area hospital, where she is awaiting a life-saving bone marrow transplant.

"It's been an eye-opener for me," said Thienpont, 46. "I've had cancer for three years, but you don't really know what it's like until you have to be away from home."

To help their fellow employee and friend, the Cherry Valley-Springfield Teacher's Association will play host to a Donors for Donna Benefit and Auction from 2 to 6 p.m. Nov. 23 at the South Minden Firehouse in Cherry Valley.

An auction, a penny raffle and a silent auction will be held during the event to raise money to help with Thienpont's medical bills, travel expenses and post-bone marrow transplant care.

In 1999, Thienpont was diagnosed with chronic lymphocitic leukemia. But because her disorder was diagnosed as slow to progress, she didn't begin treatment until 2000.

The treatments she received did not halt the spread of her disease, and Thienpont said she was forced to take a leave of absence from teaching in April.

Earlier this month, the mother of three traveled to the New England Medical Center at Tufts University in Boston, where she is waiting for the transplant.

So far, Thienpont said, 10 people listed on the national bone marrow registry have been found to be potential matches. For now, she said, it's a waiting game.

In support of Thienpont's personal and financial battle with leukemia, the family has established the Donors for Donna Foundation.

"As a teacher, I've always been giving, because it's what I do — but receiving is awkward," Thienpont said, adding that the foundation will also be used to help raise awareness about the disease and the national bone marrow registry.

"I want to be able to return something to society," she said. "I want to share with others because it helps ... mind, body and spirit."

Developing a website that would contain information on alternative healing and nutritional information is also one of Thienpont's long-term goals.

In the meantime, the family's goal is to do whatever it takes to get Thienpont well, her daughter Crystalyn said.

"We want to make sure that the people who have been most touched by her life are aware of where she is," she said. "Through the foundation, we're also raising awareness and support from the people who care most about her."

For more information about the benefit, call Kathy Walsh at (518) 993-2766 or Crystalyn Thienpont at (518) 589-0060.

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Jill Fahy can be reached at jfahy@thedailystar.com or (607) 441-7221.