Morton, IL 61550

I work at the American Red Cross Blood Services in Peoria, IL in the Bone Marrow Department. I have been here for 11 years now and still love my job.

(I earned a Medical Technology degree at UNMC in Omaha). I recruit donors who want to join the National Marrow Donor Program and prepare our matched donors for their marrow donation. It has its perks in that I get to travel around the U.S. delivering bone marrow and other blood products. I am taking my first international match to Australia on May 8th.

We have 2 children. Nathan is 7 1/2 and finishing 1st grade. He is tall and skinny just like his father. Nicole is 5, into Barbies, of course, and will be entering Kindergarden in the fall. I married a hog farmer, just like my father. Mark also farms about 800 acres with his father and brother. I never thought in a million years I would marry a hog farmer!!! One advantage to marrying a farmer in Illinois is that they don't have to irrigate here. Halleluyah! (By the way, an interesting tidbit. Tam's husband's name is also Mark. And no, we did not plan this. And she also has a boy and a girl. And no, we didn't plan that either). I enjoy living in Illinois but it is a good 8 1/2 hours to Cairo so we don't get home too often.