MatchDotCom.org
This post is hard to write for many reasons. Unlike many W and CP posts, this entry not really my story to tell. But, it is important that Elissa's search for a bone marrow donor expand as far and as wide as we can spread it. So, I am breaking from my usual posts about adventures with my friends, including the often mentioned Elissa F., to share some information about two important upcoming events.
My good friend, Elissa, is a talented, intelligent, hilarious, 26-year-old aspiring rabbi and social change maker. She is also battling an aggressive form of cancer and needs a bone marrow transplant to save her life. You could be Elissa’s match or the miracle that some other mother, father, child, or friend is desperately looking for!
If you are not yet part of the National Bone Marrow Registry, now is your chance to swab your cheek and help save a life. Friends are organizing two Gift of Life bone marrow donor drives in the DC area:
- The first will be held on Sunday, July 18 from 11 am to 2 pm at the Rockville Jewish Community Center (6125 Montrose Road, Rockville MD). For more information, please contact Rachel K. (ruby313@gmail.com) or Debbie S. (debbiestillman@gmail.com).
- The second will be held on Thursday, August 5 from 5:00 pm to 7:30 pm at the DC Jewish Community Center (1529 16th Street, NW, Washington DC). For more information, please contact Allison G. (grossman.allison@gmail.com) or Debra E. (debra.eichenbaum@gmail.com).
Add yourself to the registry, tell at least five friends about these drives, and let us know if you can volunteer at a drive! Registration involves a simple cheek swab, and eligible donors must be between the ages of 18 and 60 and in good health.
More information is also available at www.giftoflife.org and www.marrow.org.
2 comments:
Hope these drives are a huge success! I didn't know if I'd be able to make it because I'm working odd hours, so I tried to register online and get Gift of Life to send me a swab-it-yourself kit. But they won't even let me get screened because I've had hip surgery. Sigh. It's the not knowing whether I could have been someone's match that is the most frustrating. It seems like the person who really needs the marrow should be the one to decide if they want to risk a less ideal donor. Anyway, fingers crossed!
Thanks for posting this, Emily! The last time you posted, I signed up online, received a kit in the mail, and returned it with my little swabs neatly tucked inside. I'll be sure to get other people I know to do the same....
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