|
Aplastic Anemia News - Return to News Menu
Pearl River event collects blood, bone marrow
By JAMES O'ROURKE
SPECIAL TO THE JOURNAL NEWS
January 16, 2006 - PEARL RIVER — Though Josh and Ben Pernick of Nanuet awoke yesterday to messy roads and whipping winds, there was something they both knew was among their top priorities.
"We're here with our parents," said 17-year-old Josh Pernick. "We're all coming just to donate blood."
The Pernicks were but a few of the estimated 200 people who, despite inclement weather earlier in the day, attended yesterday's Pearl River Interfaith's blood and bone marrow drive.
The drive, hosted by the community outreach organization along with New York Blood Center, The National Marrow Donor Program and the nonprofit Jesse's Wish, was held at Pearl River High School from 9 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
"Blood is something that we're still not able to make in a lab," said Renee Alper of Chestnut Ridge, a volunteer chairwoman for Pearl River Interfaith. "We still need one human to willingly donate to another. It doesn't cost money to donate and it's one of the few things we can give in this life that is free."
The National Marrow Donor Program and Jesse's Wish were there to help people join the bone marrow donor registry. Jesse's Wish was started by 14-year-old Jesse Spina of New City, who had Ewing's sarcoma, a rare bone cancer. Though Spina died in July 2004, the organization continues to help those in need of blood and stem cell transplants.
Jesse's Wish covers the cost of testing, as much as $95 a person, to become part of the registry. Bone marrow is one source of stem cells, which are used in transplants for people with leukemia, aplastic anemia and other fatal blood diseases.
"We don't understand God's ways, but we know that he is working in all things for good," said Marian Spina, Jesse Spina's mother. "Even though he didn't live, he is saving the lives of other people and children."
Marian Spina said that since the organization started, she has personally known three people who found matching donors with the help of Jesse's Wish.
With the overnight ice and morning snow, some of the early appointments were missed, said Robin Friehling, accounts manager for the Hudson Valley Blood Services division of New York Blood Center, but volunteers were doing their best to ensure people that the drive was happening and that their help was needed.
Friehling also was making announcements at St. Margaret's and St. Aedan's churches, and arranged for announcements to be made at ShopRite in Pearl River in order to increase donations.
"It's hard to get people to donate blood without the additional challenge of the winter weather," said the New City resident. "The roads are clearing up, the message is getting out and we just have to keep our fingers crossed that we do what we came here to do today."
Donating bone marrow
Why donate: Stem-cell transplants can often be the last hope for patients with leukemia, aplastic anemia and other fatal blood diseases. It is estimated that at any given time, approximately 3,000 patients worldwide are searching for a bone-marrow match.
How a donor is found: The National Marrow Donor Program works through an extensive network of U.S. and International organizations to facilitate bone marrow and blood stem-cell transplants for patients who need an unrelated donor transplant.
What it takes to get a match: A transplant requires matching tissue types between patient and donor. These tissue types are inherited, but 70 percent of patients do not have a matched donor in their family and require a donation from a stranger in the Bone Marrow Registry.
What it takes to become a donor: A small sample of blood is taken to determine your tissue type, which is then listed in an international database until your 61st birthday. If you are a potential match, additional tests, including a physical exam to determine if it is safe for you to be a donor, are needed. The actual donation is either done through an automated (non-surgical) procedure called apheresis during which stem cells can be obtained for transplant. In some cases a surgical procedure is necessary, where special hollow needles are used to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of your pelvic bones. Most donors will experience some soreness in their lower back and are back to normal activities in three days. Marrow is completely replaced within four to six weeks.
For more information: To join the Bone Marrow Registry or find out more about becoming a donor, contact New York Blood Center at 1-800-933-2566 or visit www.nybloodcenter.org.
For more information about Jesse Spina go to www.jessespina.org.
|
