Win the lottery!!!

In honor of our dear friend Evan who was diagnosed 1 year ago this past week with ALD (you can Google it) and subsequently passed away in November just hours before his 10th birthdy that he shares with his twin sister Alaina, I am encouraging each and every one of you to think about "saving a life". It's simple and until May 19th, it's free! You can choose to donate more to help others that can't afford it but that is your choice. Please consider being on the bone marrow registry. Here is more information from Gina (Evan's mom) about signing up:

Take 5 minutes and learn how you can save a life... Be A Hero, Become A Donor

During our Cyber BM Drive, between the dates of May 5-19, you can join the registry as part of Evan’s Entourage. Simply email sbaker@nmdp.org with Evan’s Entourage in the subject area, and your name, address and how many kits you would like sent to you in the body of the email. The application and swab kit will be sent immediately to you. It must be dated and placed in the mail by May 19 to qualify.

Tell a friend. Remember, in regards to the fee/donation….the normal cost to join the registry is $52. Always, non-Caucasians are fully funded by the federal government, which includes everyone except Caucasians (those of Middle Eastern descent are considered Caucasians). This is because only 20% of the registry consists of non-Caucasians. When drives are hosted at fire and police stations, these professionals are fully funded, as well as all college students at their schools.

Our Cyber BM Drive is being hosted during the federally funded “Thanks Mom” Campaign and is free however we still ask for a $25 donation payable to the Marrow Foundation, c/o Evan’s Entourage, to help us fund future drives.

More info to help educate your community:***EVERY DAY, OVER 6,000 PEOPLE DESPERATELY SEARCH THE NATIONAL MARROW DONOR REGISTRY IN HOPE OF FINDING A MATCH. ONLY 3 IN 10 PEOPLE FIND THE MATCH THEY NEED TO SAVE THEIR LIFE.

Joining the National Marrow Donor Registry is easy and painless:
1.First you fill out the application, pay the fee/make a donation***, and then take 4 big “Qtips” and swab the inside of your cheeks.
2. Win the Lottery, because the chances of you being called as a donor are that slim.
3. If you are chosen, remember you are the one person in the WORLD that can give this person a chance for a new life. Without you, they have no hope.
4. From this point forward, there is no cost involved. All procedures will take place in a hospital near you. Everyone who crosses your path will treatyou with the utmost respect.
5. Time to donate: Doctors will determine if it will be done through Peripheral Stem Cell collection or Bone Marrow Harvest (done undersedation).
6. Walk out of the hospital the same day as your procedure and know that you were the lucky one, that without your gift of life, this person had NO HOPE.

Demystifying the Myths around becoming a Bone Marrow Donor
1. Ignorance-Probably the number one reason people don’t join the BM Registry. Our goal is to demystify the process so that everyone, when medically able, can’t wait to have the opportunity to “Save a Life” by becoming a bone marrow donor and having their baby’s cord blood donated to the registry.
2. Pain- There is NO PAIN involved in joining the registry. A simple cheek swab will gather your “cells”, which will then be typed for your DNA.
3. Afraid-“I hate needles and I hate pain.” Well to be honest, aren’t we all?? The most painful part of joining the registry is filling out the application. After that, if you are the lucky one, the one person in the world that can save a person’s life, would you not consider a little discomfort to have this opportunity??
4. Commitment/Time/Travel-If you are the lucky one to chosen to be a donor, EVERYTHING will take place at a hospital near your home. For Stem Cell Collection, it is done at a blood donation center near you. For Bone Marrow Aspiration, it will take place in an outpatient setting under sedation. For your little discomfort, you have now given someone the chance for new life!!
5. Cost- The only cost involved is the original “fee” to become a donor. Often people don’t understand why they are being charged to join the registry, but as with all medical tests, the HLA typing is very expensive, in addition to the overhead involved in running the NMDP. And often times there is partial or full funding available to reduce the normal $52 fee. After that, there is no cost to the donor. And the time commitment if you are chosen is simply the time it takes to the medical tests to make sure you are healthy enough to be a donor, and the time, one day, to collect your cells or marrow.
6. Not needed/why me?- “If the chances of me be chosen to be a match is like winning the lottery, why should I do it?” Well, for the 6000 people that search the registry every day, only 3 out of every 10 actually find a donor. And the odds for non-Caucasians to find a match are even worse. (Middle Easterners are considered Caucasian) You can only win the lottery if you play the lottery. Please come play with us!!
7. Involvement-“I just don’t want to get involved!” If you think about it for just a few moments, we can bet you that you know someone either personally or through another, who has needed a transplant or who will need a transplant. We all have a reason to get involved….as this could end up being you, your mother, your father, your brother, your sister, your child, or your friend or neighbor… whose only “hope” for life after a life-threatening diagnosis is a bone marrow or cord blood transplant.
8. If I am chosen, can I choose which method they use? NO, it is up to the doctors to make the decision on whether stem cells or bone marrow is the right treatment for the recipient. If you have any hesitation, it is best that do not register at this. If you are the lucky one in the world, we don’t want your recipient to have HOPE and then find out that you are not willing to go forward with the best course of treatment.

Register here - you never even have to leave your home to do it!!!
http://www.marrow.org/HELP/Events/Thanks_Mom/index.html