Jeana Moore stopped in McMinnville on Friday on her walk across America to raise awareness of the bone marrow registry.

Starla Pointer

Jeana Moore's granddaughter, Jada, is walking these days because of a tissue match for a bone marrow transplant. Moore is walking, as well, to encourage other people to sign up as potential marrow donors.

"I knew about donations before Jada was born with leukemia, but I didn't do anything about it," Moore said. "I'm telling people about the importance of registering now, before it touches their own family."

She calls her walk "Steps to Tomorrow." It's sponsored by the Jada Bascom Foundation, which was named for her granddaughter, now a lively 2 1/2 year old.

Moore, who is from Deer Park in Eastern Washington, left Seattle a month ago.

She walked from Newberg to McMinnville Thursday. Today, she is heading toward Rickreall. She plans to complete her journey two years from now in New York City.

In many of the cities she visits, she's helping organize bone marrow registration drives. Leon Ringering, who hosted Moore during her stop in Mac, said the local drive will be held early next year.

Bone marrow registration is a simple process, Moore said. You fill out a form with contact information, answer a few medical questions and swab the inside of your cheek.

The swab reveals your tissue type, as opposed to your blood type. That's what's used to determine if your bone marrow matches.

If your tissue some day matches that of someone in need of a transplant, you'll be given the option of donating marrow. Registering today does not commit you to donating tomorrow, Moore said.

In her granddaughter's case, everyone in the extended family had their tissue tested after Jada's diagnosis, but no one was a match. Doctors searched the national bone marrow registry and still found no matches.

Then they turned to the international registry and found what Jada needed. A 30-year-old man in Germany was a perfect match.

Using blood from the German man, Jada had the transplant two years ago, on Nov. 28, 2007. Her leukemia is now in remission.

"She's a real go-getter," said her grandmother, who frequently calls Jada from the road.

Moore was out on one of her daily three-mile walks when she thought up her Steps to Tomorrow walk across the country.

"I thought of all the other patients who need matches," she said. "Only two out of 10 find the match they need. I decided I needed to make people understand the importance of registering, and how better to do that than to meet them in person?"

One of the people she met in Portland was Ringering's grandson, Isaiah, who has leukemia. That led her to stay with the Ringering family when she reached McMinnville.

"I've been taken in by a lot of families," said Moore, whose 26-pound backpack contains a tent and sleeping bag just in case. "The reaction to my walk has been amazingly positive."

For additional detail, visit www.stepstotomorrow.