Dear Friends,
As some of you might know, our dear friends Nuran and Sulhi's six year old daughter Lara was
diagnosed with Leukemia on June 26th. She is being treated at UCSF hospital and has been there 60 days
and counting.
While the chemotherapy is continuing, the doctors
have suggested that we start organizing bone marrow
drives to enhance the chances of finding a suitable
donor for Lara. This is essentially a numbers game -
the more donors we have, the more we increase our
chances.
We will have a "Lara Day" on September 13th,
9 am to 2 pm in the Multipurpose Room at the Edna Maguire Elementary School
at 80 Lomita Drive, Mill Valley, CA 94941. You will
be able to become part of the bone marrow donor directory by doing a cheek-swab and
paying a $25 lab fee (please bring check or cash).
For more information on how bone marrow donation works, what the limitations are and
what possible next steps would be if you were a match, please refer to http://www.marrow.org.
I would also like to point out that ethnicity is a very small positive factor in this process.
Blood type has no influence at all.
If you have ever considered donating, now is the time. If you think to yourself "I don't
have time" - keep in mind that "time" has an entirely different meaning to the patients
who hope and pray that they find a matching donor.
An informational tape will be shown at the drive and those who wish to register will have a cheek swab sample taken by the personnel from the Stanford Blood Center. Happily, both Greg Bechelli and his brother, who was his bone marrow donor, will be on hand to answer questions about the bone marrow donation process. Derek Leith from the Stanford Blood center will also be there to answer questions. Two years ago Derek was a bone marrow donor for an unrelated six year old child. Please also refer to either of these two web sites for more information regarding the bone marrow donation process.
http://bloodcenter.stanford.edu/donate/marrow.html
http://www.marrow.org
The cost of processing a cheek swab sample is usually $52.00. We have received matching funds to allow us to test 75 people at a cost of only $25.00.
If you would like to help, there are several options:
1) Become a registered bone marrow donor on September 13 at Edna Maguire and contribute $25.00 towards lab processing.
(Please bring check or cash)
2) Become a registered bone marrow donor on September 13 at Edna Maguire and contribute $52.00 or whatever you can towards lab processing. (Please bring check or cash)
3) Become a registered bone marrow donor on September 13 at Edna Maguire. If you cannot contribute financially, we still need your help.
4) Donate any amount towards testing SOMEONE ELSE who would like to register, but is unable to contribute financially. If you would like to contribute financially towards testing someone else and you are unable to attend Lara's day on September 13, you can send a check for any amount made payable to: The Stanford Foundation
Please write a notation in the memo area that says: Lara HLA Testing.
Please send your check to:
The Stanford Foundation
c/o Cece Bechelli
237 Laverne Ave.
Mill Valley, CA 94941
5) If you would like to register as a bone marrow donor but cannot attend the drive on September 13, you can go on line to www.marrow.org and have a cheek swab kit sent to you at home. You can also call Derek Leith at the Stanford Blood Center at 650-723 5532 to schedule an appointment.
6) Lastly, you could bring a plate of cookies (disposable plate) to add to our refreshments any time between 9:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m. on September 13.
If you have any questions please contact Adrienne Puech at:
apuech@comcast.net
415-518-1421
Or you may contact Derek Leith at the Stanford Blood Center at: 650-723-5532.
Please pass this information on to at least five people and ask those five people to do the same.
Thank you so much for taking the time to read this. We hope to have a show of great support for little Lara on September 13! |
