CHP Rallies Around San Clemente Officer Battling Cancer

A father of two girls, a triathlon athlete who runs law enforcement’s annual Baker-to-Vegas race, and a police officer known for taking rookies under his wing, it came as no surprise when Orange County California Highway Patrol Officer Keith Meter agreed to donate his bone marrow to a cancer-stricken girl in Boston he’d never even met.

But what happened next was a complete shock.

During the donation process, doctors discovered that Meter was suffering from myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a rare cancer of the bone marrow. Now he needs a bone marrow transplant to save his life, and the CHP community up and down the state is stepping up with a series of bone marrow drives this week.

“There is no cure for what I have, and the only cure would be to get the bone marrow transplant,” Meter told CBS.

The 18-year CHP veteran wouldn’t have known he was sick if it weren’t for his willingness to donate his bone marrow in 2014.

“I ignored the fact that they told me to go to the doctor because i felt fine,” he admitted.

Meter’s friends and fellow officers couldn’t believe it either.

“It is shocking, but if there is anyone who could beat this, it would be him,” said CHP Lt. Scott Moorhouse, who is on a mission to get as many donors as possible registered. “It’s personal for me. First and foremost, he’s my friend. He was in my wedding. We were at the academy at the same time almost 20 years ago.”

Moorhouse describes his friend in the same terms many in the CHP use to describe Meter: strong and self-sacrificing.

“He’s a real selfless person,” Moorhouse said. “He doesn’t even have to know you, he is one of those people who will literally give the shirt off his back for you.”

A San Clemente resident, Meter also works as a lifeguard and has saved many lives as a CHP officer and as a lifeguard, said Moorhouse. He once helped yank a jumper dangling from an overpass, holing him by his ankle until the man could be pulled to safety.

“When i first started this job back in 2008 he was my training officer,” said CHP Officer Florentino Olivera.

“To this day I believe he is the best officer I ever worked with. He’s a hard worker. He always puts others before himself. He makes sure everyone around him is taken care of before himself.”

Community members are encouraged to come out for his week’s CHP bone marrow drive all throughout the state. The donation involves a simple cheek swab. Your DNA goes into the national registry where you have a 1 in 540 chance of being the right match for someone in need, according to Be The Match.

According to his supporters, there’s no-telling how many lives you would end up saving when you save someone like Meters.

The drives in Orange County are:

• Tuesday March 15 at the Westminster CHP Area Office, 13200 Goldenwest Street, Westminster.
• Wednesday, March 16 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the, San Juan Capistrano CHP Area Office, 32951 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano.
• Thursday, March 17 from 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at the Santa Ana CHP Area Office, 2031 East Santa Clara Ave, Santa Ana.

Photos: Courtesy of the CHP and caringbridge.org