I forgot to let you all know that if you’re a Tampa area local and are interested in becoming part of the Bone Marrow Registry, there is going to be a BM drive at the Children’s Cancer Center Thursday night at 6 pm.
Some might hesitate because it is a mighty big responsibility, if you are a match it asks a lot of you. But as a donor, you have the ability to change a life…but giving them the gift of hope. There are so many waiting for donor matches, I just ask you to think about becoming a donor and making that commitment.
There is normally a 70$ charge to do the basic testing, which is nothing more than mouth swabs, but tomorrow night you can register at the CCC for free. We’re going to be there and if you’ve someone we’ve never met and are interested in coming down, please do, we’d love to meet you and get you to be a part of the registry.
One special person who could benefit from your gift of life is Emily Lester. Emily was diagnosed at 12 years old and after completing the full regiment of treatment, she relapsed. She received a bone marrow transplant with marrow donated from her sister and she was in remission and making plans for the future. Emily had just been accepted to attend Duke and she relapsed for the second time just weeks ago. Because her bone marrow donor was her sister, they can’t use her family this time around for the second bone marrow transplant. She is desperately in need of a match and she will be relying on the registry for that match.
Please please please think about what it would mean to you if you were the one in need of a bone marrow donor…your spouse…your child. If you can’t make it to our drive in Tampa, please take the time to contact a blood center in your area and become a donor. They will probably be able to tell you if there is a sponsored donor drive in your area and you can do it free of the charge.
f.r.o.G.
–Anissa
