Since Emru began to tell people about his situation and that of others, there has been an enormous amount of support in the anime and science fiction convention community. Many conventions have a history of fundraising for good causes, whether it is a guest of honour's fee being given to a good cause, a blood drive, a charity auction or an ancillary party. I and my friends were too busy raising awareness at Eastercon, Anime North and more recently Otakuthon to really post about it. As Anticipation has campaigned for people to register as members of the 2009 World Science Fiction Convention in Montreal, the chair and secretary have also encouraged people to register as stem cell donors.

However, I am going to try harder to let people know when and where we or our materials will be, because every person and organization who has helped should be commended. They've been vital to getting the word out about this important message that can benefit many people right now and in the future.

You can find our flyers this weekend at Diversicon, August 1-3. The science fiction convention is committed to fan, media and cultural diversity, and located in Minneapolis, MN. One of the most culturally diverse cities in the United States, Minneapolis is also the home of the National Marrow Donor Program.

You can get our flyers here. If you will have flyers in your registration pack or promotional table of a convention, festival or conference, let us know in advance and we will try to inform others so they can keep an eye out for them.

Labels: conventions, flyers, Minneapolis, NMDP

I've been cagey ever since the day I got the news that I might have a matching donor, and I remained cagey (although slightly less so) when that donor was confirmed. The reason is simple; there are any number of reasons a donor could back out before they begin the procedure. It doesn't necessarily have to do with fear or callousness; it could be for medical reasons (if something turns up that appears to make the procedure unsafe for the donor, it's called off), or for pragmatic reasons (I recently read on a potential donor's blog about how, as a single mother, the extended hospital stay her donor centre required for the filgrastim injections wouldn't have worked out; fortunately, there were two other matching donors).

The fear that the donor might back out is heightened by the fact that as a black recipient, I have a much lower chance of finding another donor who can act as a backup—it's hard enough as it is to find one matching donor. And without a Plan B, what do you do when Plan A fails?

This is not a purely academic concern. You might remember back in May when Tamu wrote about Eunique Darby, a Syracuse teen who needed a bone marrow match and was fortunate enough to find one the day before the National Marrow Donor Program's annual Thanks Mom event. What I discovered a few weeks ago—and didn't report in the vain hope that good news would be around the corner—was that Eunique's donor had backed out. So rather than the feelings of relief and preparation for the transplant procedure, Eunique and her family have had to go back to square one.

I was unaware that the family had planned for a drive as part of the Juneteenth celebrations, but, as always, there are many ways to register. No matter where you are in the world, check out our list of registries for more information on registering in your area. Eunique needs a Plan B. For all I know, I might need one, too.

Labels: Emru, minority donors, New York, NMDP

Pat Pedraja is a young man on a mission. Pat is seeking to educate people about the bone marrow registry and register more people, especially minority donors. In Canada, it is free to register. In the US, if it is free, it is because someone else paid for the typing costs already. Someone contributed money or raised a lot of funds to ensure people would be able to register.

Unlike Canada, the US runs bone marrow drives, which are a proven method for recruiting a large number of people and diversifying the registry. Pat pledged to recruit 2007 people for 2007, and ended up recruiting over 6500 people in over 30 US cities in 3 months. This year, he is back on the road again, driving for donors.

Pat does not require a donor, but this 13-year-old 2007 CNN Hero has lived with leukemia since he was 10 years old. Pat writes:

Your vote will make a difference!
HI, it's Pat from Driving For Donors!

I need your votes for these 2 awards. To me it's about more than winning a contest, it's about saving lives! I have registered over 10,000 new marrow donors and helped find 4 life saving matches for people in need! The more people that hear about my work and register as marrow donors the more lives we can save!

I need the help of adults and kids too! Can you please take a minute to vote and pass this on to everyone you know so they can help me as well!
Teen Choice / Do Something Award voting is for 13 to 19 year olds so (if YOU'RE NOT) please forward this to your kids and ask them to vote! If I'm the top vote getter, I'll be on the TEEN CHOICE AWARDS (with Miley Cyrus) and receive $100,000 for Driving for Donors! That can save a lot of lives!

Vote everyday until August 1st!

CLICK HERE to vote for Pat for the Teen Choice Do Something Award!

Labels: bone marrow drives, minority donors, NMDP, US

This is Michelle. She is in her 20s, just got married and has been living with leukemia. She needs a bone marrow transplant and requires an unrelated donor. Project Michelle has helped increase her chances and highlighted the shortage of Asian donors in the registry.

So far, Project Michelle has helped register 8000 people at bone marrow drives. Why don't we do these in Canada? Someone remind me, please.

Labels: bone marrow drives, California, minority donors, NMDP, US

Eunique Darby is a teenager who was one of the faces of the National Marrow Donor Program's Thanks Mom event, ending Monday, May 19. The event promotes bone marrow and registration is even more convenient, including free online registration, until May 19th.

Online promo code: THXMGARDEN413500

A likely match for a recipient is someone who shares the same or similar ethnic background. If you are of European descent in the US, your chance of finding a match is 80%. If you are of African descent it is 60%. In Canada, if you are of European descent your chance is 75%, if you are anybody else is it 10-30%.

This is a story about Eunique Darby, a 14 year old girl from Syracuse, New York, who appears to be a typical teen. She enjoys spending time with her friends, going to the mall, singing in the church choir, learning how to cook and watching basketball. Unfortunately, Eunique doesn’t get to do these activities as often as she’d like.

Five years ago Eunique was diagnosed with acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), a cancer that affects the white blood cells. She experienced chronic fatique and stomach pains, prompting her parents, Enid and Johnny, to bring her to the doctor for a checkup. After noticing Eunique’s enlarged spleen and an abnormal white blood cell count, Eunique was diagnosed with leukemia.

Eunique needs a life-saving transplant to survive. Eunique has been in remission twice, but was not able to find a donor. After her third round of chemotherapy, Eunique learned last week that she is again in remission…and now, eligible for a marrow transplant.

A day before the event began, a match was found for Eunique, and I hope that person will honour their commitment. There was a pre-planned bone marrow drive held today in her honour. Hopefully, her story will help others find their match.

Labels: minority donors, New York, NMDP, personal appeal

Pretty darned easy, that's what we always say. But stay-at-home mom Ash recently posted on her blog about registering with the NMDP and included this photo of the swabs she received in the mail as part of the registrant testing kit. Take a look at the high-res photo to see the instructions in detail. It's only seven steps!

And, hey, Ash—thanks for registering.

Labels: NMDP

Includes a clear straightforward explanation of:
Why more African-Americans are needed. 3:30
Why they are so hard to type 4:00

The interviewee is the CEO of the National Marrow Donor Program.

Labels: minority donors, NMDP

Here's another way to get registrants and monetary donations for the National Marrow Donor Program: Throw a party! It all goes down tonight in Portland, Oregon. From The Portland Mercury:

Live music! Beer! Helping sick kids!

I think there’s gonna be a silent auction, as well as live music from Red Ray Frazier, Invisible Rockets, Blue Horns, Henry Dark, and Jesse Young and Friends. And did I mention helping sick kids, and beer?

Green Dragon Pub and Bistro, 928 SE 9th, Sunday May 18, 3 pm-11 pm or so.

Labels: bone marrow drives, free registration, NMDP, Oregon, US

The Thanks Mom event is winding to a close. While it's generally possible to find free or reduced-cost registration year-round, it's never quite as easy as during this event. From the Bastrop Daily Enterprise:

The International Paper Company in conjunction with Morehouse General Hospital are joining together to hold a bone marrow drive called the Thanks Mom Campaign from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. on May 19 at the Louisiana Mill Learning Center.

Labels: bone marrow drives, free registration, Louisiana, NMDP, US

From KHQA:

This Tuesday the Cary Cancer Center will hold its first Bone Marrow drive. If you would like to sign up to be in the National Marrow Donor Program, the Cary Cancer Center in Hannibal is holding a free drive this Tuesday from 2 until 6 p.m. No appointments are necessary and it's easy to sign up.

Here's the contact information:
Address: 6000 Medical Drive, Hannibal , MO 63401
Tel: (913) 901-3100, (800) 366-6710

Labels: bone marrow drives, free registration, Missouri, NMDP

The National Marrow Donor Program's Thanks Mom event also features a page called The Donor Garden. You can add your photo to a collage of people who have registered, know a loved one who is waiting for or received a transplant, or if you have been a donor or recipient. My ID is 100249.

Add your name to the garden.

Labels: bone marrow drives, donor stories, free registration, NMDP, personal appeal, US

Mother's Day is a time to reflect on how important our mothers are and to celebrate them. Giving life is a powerful experience and the bond between a mother and child are not to be underestimated. Now try to magine the gift a mother receives when she learns that her critically ill child has a second chance at life. Or how a child feels if their parent needs a chance to live.

The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) is offering free registration during its Thanks Mom campaign, until May 19, 2008.

During the event, costs to join the Registry online or at a bone marrow drive are paid for by generous partners and contributors so that it is FREE:

- For the first 46,000 who join the registry via the NMDP.

-This includes the first 10,000 who join online via the NMDP's website.

In the US, you get the inside of your cheek swabbed. You get a kit at home or you go to a bone marrow drive or donor center. Here is a list by state of upcoming drives.

If you are not a US resident, this is still important information about the bone marrow registry. Many countries have free registry, every day. Even if you do not live in the US, people who register in the US could save the life of a person anywhere in the world, maybe even where you live. In fact, 49% of US matches involve an international recipient or donor.

There are many myths surrounding donation and registration. Many people do not even know there is an unrelated registry and that 70% who need bone marrow transplant rely on someone outside of the family. After registration, learning more and telling others is the most important key to creating a healthy registry and giving people a chance at survival.

Emru celebrated his birthday yesterday. He says that this is his birthdate "for now". If he has the opportunity to receive a transplant, this may be the day he is given life a second time around.

Labels: bone marrow drives, free registration, NMDP, US