In 1981, Sandra Holder came to the United States from the island of Grenada in search of the American dream. She has worked as a nurse at Shorefront Jewish Geriatric Center for almost 30 years, but her greatest joy has always been her family, especially her only child Nigel.
In April, 2010, Mrs. Holder was diagnosed with Peripheral T-Cell Lymphoma, which is a rare form of cancer. Her doctors say her best chance for recovery is a bone marrow transplant, but right now Sandra can not find a matching donor. You may be the match she has been searching for!
Every day thousands of patients search for a bone marrow donor match. Only four of 10 patients are lucky enough to receive a transplant.
“We need you! stated Katharina Harf, COO, DKMS Americas. “We need your help so we can save more lives.”
“I lost my mother to leukemia when I was 14, and I have made it my mission to recruit more donors so that other families don’t have to go through the pain we did,”n Harf added.
Registration for bone marrow donors takes place Saturday, March 24, 12:00 noon to 5:00 p.m. and Sunday, March 25, 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at The Church of St. Mark, 370 Union St. in Brooklyn.
Registering to become a bone marrow donor is more than a cheek swab,” DKMS says. “It is a commitment to help save a life.”
Donors must be between 18 and 55 and in good general health. When someone registers with DKMS, they can be found as a donor match for any patient in need of a bone marrow transplant.
Registering one potential bone marrow donor costs DKMS $65. Because DKMS does not require new donors to pay the registration fee and does not receive government funding, DKMS must rely on donations from the general public to fund donor registrations. 100% of one’s financial contribution is used to register new potential donors, DKMS states, adding: “Every dollar counts!”
About DKMS
DKMS’ mission is to fight blood cancer and save lives by registering bone marrow donors for patients in need. They are the world’s largest bone marrow donor center, with over three mmillion registered donors.
“More than 29,000 of our donors have helped save lives by donating their bone marrow,” DKMS Americas, a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization, states.
For more information about DKMS and to learn more about registering as a bone marrow donor, visit www.getswabbed.org or contact Erika Toto, DKMS, at 212 209 6737, erika@dkmsamericas.org
DKMS means Deutsche Knochenmarkspenderdatei in German; Bone Marrow Donor Center in English
