News from Suz: August, 2006
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Navy SEAL needs bone marrow donor!
A Navy SEAL named Justin was just diagnosed with cancer. He needs to find a bone marrow donor ASAP. They did screenings at Spotswood High School in Spotswood, NJ last Saturday from 9am-5pm, but as of August 20th, they still haven't found him a match.
THIS JUST IN: On September 11, 2006, a donor with Justin's exact bone marrow match was found! As of spring 2007, Justin had the transplant, and is doing well! For continued updates on Justin, visit www.imaswabbie.blogspot.com
How to help:
Find out more about being a bone marrow donor. Visit www.marrow.org and request a test kit. (Note: Military personnel and their families can also contact www.dodmarrow.com
Organize a bone marrow registration drive in your neighborhood. Call Eddy at the C.W. Bill Young DoD Marrow Donor Program at 800-627-7693, ext. 223.
Make a donation to the National Marrow Donor Program at www.marrow.org to help offset costs of testing.
Spread the word! Email the link to this page to your friends and family.
Note from Suz: Thanks to Deborah DeVane, an energetic and generous reader, we had an impromptu bone marrow registry drive at my reader event last month in Atlanta. Over 50 people were tested -- including me! Over 50 more have been tested through my bulletin board and email newsletter thanks to Deborah's efforts!
On August 31st, I'll be the guestblogger at www.RomanceByTheBlog.blogspot.com, spreading the news about Justin and the need for more people to register as potential bone marrow donors. I'll be dropping in at that blog throughout the course of the day on August 31st -- so please check it out and be sure to say hi!
Also, one of my BB regulars, another energetic and generous reader named P. Smith, has started a blog which will provide updates on Justin, as well as announce the dates and location of bone marrow registry drives across the country. (There's one coming up in Michigan, set up by another of my readers, Linda Brock!) On September 11, 2006, NASCAR will be hosting donor registry drives at 12 different racetracks. You can find out more info about that and other drives at the "I'm a Swabbie" blogsite (named after the bone marrow registry test, in which you swab the insides of your cheeks with several giant Q-tips. <g>) at www.imaswabbie.blogspot.com
If you are involved in setting up a drive in your community, do contact P.Smith at the "I'm a Swabbie" Blogsite, in order to get your drive listed!
Thank you so much!
Links:
Read more about Justin at:
http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060709/COLUMNISTS01/607090470/1081
http://ebs.gmnews.com/news/2006/0706/Front_Page/048.html
http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060716/NEWS0102/607160432/1001
http://www.usatoday.com/life/books/news/2006-08-16-bchat-brockmann_x.htm
http://www.soldiersangels.org/Justin_Navy_Seal.php
Follow news of Justin at the "I'm a Swabbie" Blog: www.imaswabbie.blogspot.com
FAQs of being a bone marrow donor: www.marrow.org/DONOR/abcs_of_donation.html
Check out Suz's GuestBlog on August 31st: www.RomanceByTheBlog.blogspot.com