Everyday Hero: Derek Breen

Behind the everyday husband, dad and provider roles, Derek Breen has long been a man of service to country, as a Marine, and community.

Saving a human life may have been thought to happen more often within his military service, but his decision 10 years ago to register his name on a bone marrow registry changed the life of a complete stranger.

Breen said his wife, Dawn, had family friends whose 7-year-old son was diagnosed with leukemia, and were holding fundraisers for funds and awareness.

“Dawn said, let’s sign up and get on the national bone marrow registry,” he said.

A few years passed and Breen received a phone call telling him that he was a preliminary match for someone in need, and would he please come in for further testing.

Without hesitation, Breen scheduled appointments, had blood drawn and waited. Once he was a 100 percent match for the unknown recipient, the process began.

Dawn said he was put on the drug Filgrastim, which increased the number of blood stem cells in his body. Breen said the worst part of the medication was the swelling and cramping, almost flu-like symptoms he had during the five-day cycle.

Donation day came and Dawn said her husband did the PBSC donation, which stands for Peripheral Blood Stem Cell donation.

“They put him on an apheresis machine that was originally created to separate cream,” she said.

According to Bethematch.org, this process entails blood being removed through a needle in one arm. The blood was then passed through a machine that collected only the blood-forming cells, and the remaining blood was returned to the body through another needle in the other arm.

Dawn said the 50-year-old recipient of Breen’s stem cells contacted him with a first name, but Breen said he never responded “because I didn’t want the family to feel obligated to thank me for what I did. If the guy lives a healthy life and gets to spend time with his family, that’s thanks enough.”

“A lot of people wouldn’t step up and do this. We are obviously telling the story to encourage people to do the same and spark conversation,” Dawn said.

Derek and Dawn Breen live in Channahon with their children Taylor, Sydney and Aidan. Along with working as a laborer/superintendent, Breen donates his time as the vice president of the Channahon School District 17 Board of Education. He has been on the board for 10 years, with his term ending in 2017.

“He does a great job, and he has all of the categories covered when making decisions for the community and students,” Channahon School District 17 BOE President Joe Pope said. “He loves talking about issues and respects others opinions.”

Breen describes the board as “politics the way it was meant to be,” meaning the group of elected officials don’t have a member with special interests in mind, but instead all have a common goal.

“We don’t always agree, but we vote on the issues at hand and move on, without animosity. We have what’s best for the community in mind, not a special agenda,” Breen said.

Breen also had a four-year commitment to the United States Marine Corps from ages 18 to 22, where he was a machine gunner. As he was humble about all of his accolades, he was more so when speaking of his military service and praise.

“There is always someone who has done more than or is in a worse spot than you. Even when speaking about the military, it’s awkward when someone says thank you for your service,” Breen said. “I like the old guys that had it rough, they are the true heroes.”