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- Brothers a perfect match for transplant Annie Hundley   Greeley, Colo., March 15 - Now that Ron Hawley has found the perfect match for a bone marrow transplant, he can't wait to meet the brother who might save his life. Three weeks ago, Adoption Free Search called Tracy and John Boeder with the news that they had a brother and he needed their help.      "They asked if we would be willing to help, and we said, 'Hell. yeah,' " Hawley's brother, John Boeder of Albany, Ore., said. "There's no hesitation."            John, Tracy and half-brother Paul were all raised by the same adoptive parents in Albany. Hawley, who was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago, was born later and given up for adoption in Greeley. He grew up in Fort Lupton and now lives with his wife in Brighton.            John and Tracy received marrow test kits and sent them back to University Hospital in Denver the very next morning. Then the waiting game began to see if the brothers might be marrow matches.            But the tests were almost a formality in Hawley's eyes. He wasn't surprised when results confirmed Tracy is a perfect match.            "We all pretty much knew he would be," Hawley said. "Once we saw pictures of Tracy, we all knew he would be a match."            The two brothers who have never met look identical.            A lot still stands in the way of Hawley and recovery. Medicaid has to approve the transplant, Tracy has to get to Denver, a bed has to open up at the hospital and even after the transplant, Hawley's body will have to warm up to the new marrow. But Hawley thinks that God wouldn't bring him to his brothers after all these years and then break them apart again.            These days, he's not focused on the illness, but on starting a new life. It's a life where Disneyland isn't the only option for family vacations, but trips to visit the family he never knew also are considered.            This week Hawley got over his nerves and called his brothers for the first time. "Do you want to talk to your little brother?" he asked John and Tracy over the phone. All the nervousness that came from decades of wondering if there was a family out there melted away.      The brothers talked about cars, fishing, hunting and childhood. They talked for an hour and a half.            "I felt I had a brother," John said. "I really did. When he called he said, 'John, this is your brother, Ron,' and I said, 'Hey! How're you doing?' It was so natural."            But the spectacular story has left the brothers dealing with more than getting to know each other and confronting Hawley's cancer. They've discovered a new problem: Dealing with media. In addition to the Tribune, a Denver newspaper wrote Hawley's story last Sunday, Fox 31 has broadcast the tale and now "The Today Show" and "Good Morning America" want to reunite the brothers on television.            "It's time to get moving on," Hawley said. "After you tell the story so many times, it kind of gets old. I don't need the spotlight."            To him, media, the medical lingo and cancer fades to just details. Something bigger is happening in his life.            "I might get to see all three of them," Hawley said. "I'm anxious to see them. I used to be nervous, but now I'm just killing the time, trying to make it go quicker."            To help      A spaghetti dinner and auction in Fort Lupton will raise funds for Ron Hawley's medical costs. The dinner will be from 4-7 p.m. March 22 at the Fort Lupton Middle School, 201 S. McKinley Ave. Cost is $10 for adults and $3 for kids. Donations also can be made to the Bank of Colorado.            How the match was found            Ron Hawley was diagnosed with leukemia two years ago.            When the cancer didn't go away, he knew he'd have to find a bone marrow match. But Hawley was adopted as a boy and didn't know his family members.            Immediate relatives offer the best chance for finding a match.      The Tribune wrote about Hawley's search, and within two days, an agency called Emergency Medical Locators had found John, Tracy and Paul Boeder, Hawley's brothers.   ©2001 EMLA™ Adoption-Free-Search.org™ All Rights Reserved. External Web Sites are not necessarily endorsed by Adoption-Free-Search.org™