Kelly graduated with honors in 1992 from UTMB in Galveston with a BS in Nursing, where she was also accepted in the Sigma Theta Tau Nursing Society. Kelly worked at Texas Children's Hospital in Houston with childhood cancer patients for three years before accepting a position with the stem cell transplant program here at Medical City in 1995. In 2003 she accepted the stem cell transplant coordinator position. Kelly has more than 14 years experience in oncology and is an active a member of the Oncology Nurses Society and has certification as an Oncology Certified Nurse. As the stem cell transplant coordinator, she incorporates all aspects of the transplant process as well performs searches for unrelated donors for our patients that have no related donors. Her hobbies are gardening and antique shopping, and she loves spending time with her husband and two children.

Kristin James graduated in 1997 from Baker University in Topeka, Kansas with a Bachelor of Science degree in Nursing. After graduation she moved to Dallas to experience a new city. Her first nursing position was here at Medical City. Kristin attended the oncology/stem cell transplant internship and worked on the stem cell transplant unit for three years. She then traveled as a pediatric oncology/stem cell transplant nurse before coming back to Dallas. Kristin accepted the position of stem cell transplant coordinator in October 2005. She coordinates the pre-testing for potential transplant patients and donors, sets up stem cell collections, and follows the patient through the inpatient transplant phase. She focuses on education of the patient before and after discharge from transplant. Kristin is a member of Oncology Nurses Society and keeps up her bedside nursing and critical care skills by working part-time at Carter BloodCare in their clinical apheresis department. Kristin’s hobbies include traveling, remodeling and spending time with friends. She has been married for four years and is expecting her first child in September 2006.

Deborah has been a pediatric nurse for 23 years and a pediatric oncology nurse for 18 of those years. In her current position, she coordinates the oncology program, with responsibility for managing patient care and the overall program. Deborah received her BS in Nursing from Truman State University, Missouri in 1981 and her Masters in Nursing-Clinical Specialization from California State University, Fresno in 1992. Deborah has been with Medical City since 1993. In her spare time, Deborah is co-director for Camp Discovery and a beach and baseball fan.

Heidi is our stem cell laboratory technologist. She graduated from the University of North Texas in 1999 with a BS in Medical Technology. Heidi’s clinical lab training was completed at Hillcrest Baptist Medical Center in Waco, TX. She has 5 years experience in Laboratory Sciences working in Microbiology and as a generalist in a pediatric hospital in Fort Worth. Heidi joined the team in May 2004. Her responsibilities include; the care of stem cell products coming into the laboratory including processing and storage. She also assists the Nurse Coordinator in the search for allogeneic HLA matched donor for our patients. Heidi’s interests include traveling throughout the world, floral design and gardening, as well as spending time with her family, friends, and two big dogs.

In 1995, Marchelle Badon earned a B.S. degree in Clinical Laboratory Science from Northeast Louisiana University in Monroe, Louisiana. She completed her training at Rapides Regional Medical Center in Alexandria, Louisiana. As a technologist, Marchelle has been a generalist in the core laboratory on all shifts. Her most recent work experience was Transfusion Service and Stem Cell Processing at a pediatric facility in New Orleans, Louisiana. At Medical City, Marchelle and Heidi Limb work together to process the stem cells for storage and transplant. Data collection and reporting, donor searches, and continuous quality improvement are also included in the responsibilities of the lab. Marchelle and her husband have a wide variety of interests that keep them and their son busy when she is away from work.