DONORS NEEDED!!!....
ALL PERSONS URGED TO PARTICIPATE
in the following Stem Cell Blood Drives:

STEM CELL BLOOD DRIVE...
in RICHMOND, VA

Thursday, December 9th, 2004
FROM 4:30pm on

Cost: $25 (for blood typing & refreshments)

At the offices of Kalbaugh, Pfund & Messersmith - (organized by Janeen Koch)
901 Moorefield Park Drive
Richmond, VA

View Flyer (PDF) with details

View Flyer (MS Word) with Details


What is it? There is a national registry which is a list of all the names of people willing to donate stem cells and their genetic fingerprint for stem cells. In this case, they determine what your HLA type is - similar to blood type but much more specific to the individual. So they have a list of names and HLA types. It is available for everyone in the nation. Take Ryan for example. If he needs to find a donor who matches him for the transplant, the transplant centers do a search in the national registry. Anyone who gives a small sample of their blood is entered into the database. It’s just everyday ordinary people who all those in need rely upon for the stem cells. Without good Samaritans, there would be nothing in the bank - and a desperate need by those who can’t survive without it.

How does it work? You show up (details above) and agree that you will participate in the national registry. You then provide them with a finger and then get a small sample of blood from you. They will do the HLA typing and record it in their registry. If any of you are a match for Ryan or anyone else who is in need of a transplant, you will be contacted to donate your stem cells. The process of donating stem cells is not extraordinary in process or uncomfortable for the donor. The specific details, should you be called upon, can be read at www.marrow.org

Is there a cost? Yes - $25 per person (to pay for the direct expenses for the HLA typing costs for your blood). Please bring a blank check or cash with you to the event.

Will it provide the match for Ryan? Maybe, maybe not. Ryan’s greatest chance of finding a match was with his brother but that was not in the cards. We learned after Evan was born that they were not a match. The chances of getting a match from a specific group of people is very small but you never know. There has to be a match somewhere.

No lose proposition. Even if Ryan can’t directly benefit from the efforts, it will help others. My thoughts: I’m hoping that a year ago some family faced with the need to find a stem cell match for a loved one organized a drive whether or not it could help their loved one - and that the drive provided Ryan’s match. So even if we can’t directly benefit Ryan, it will help some other child or mother or friend . . .

Visit the Support Page to learn about more ways you can help (posted by webmaster).