Thanks Mom! Life-Saving Donor Drive Scheduled

Immediate Release

Contact:

Julie Tilbury, RN, NMDP Coordinator
Rock River Valley Blood Center
815-961-2330, jmtilbury@giftofhope.org

Jennifer Bowman, PR Manager
Rock River Valley Blood Center
815-961-2343, jbowman@rrvbc.org




Thanks Mom! Life-Saving Donor Drive Scheduled

Marrow, Blood Cell Transplants Provide Second Chance at Life For Thousands

Rockford, IL – The Rock River Valley Blood Center is pleased to announce its participation in the national Thanks Mom! Marrow Donor Recruitment Campaign in partnership with Rockford Health System and the RMH Guest Center, a member of the National Hospital Association of Hospitality Houses. This Mother’s Day weekend, recruitment drives will be taking place in more than 80 cities nationwide. These drives provide local community members the opportunity to join others across the country who want to give the gift of life by joining the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP) Registry.
The local drive will take place on Saturday, May 13, 2006 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the Funderburg Auditorium at Rockford Memorial Hospital.
"Thousands of patients with life-threatening diseases need transplants and do not find a donor in their family. We are encouraging local residents to come to the drive to learn how they could help save a life," said Julie Tilbury, NMDP Coordinator at the Rock River Valley Blood Center, “We can all say, ‘Thanks, Mom’ by joining the National Marrow Donor Program Registry. What better way to honor the gift of life that our mothers gave us.
The characteristics that determine whether a patient and donor match are inherited, so the most likely match is with a sibling. However, 70 percent of patients will not find a suitable matching donor in their family.






These patients can turn to the volunteer marrow and blood cell adult donors and cord blood units listed on the NMDP Registry – the largest source for all types of blood and marrow cells available for unrelated transplants.
Although it is possible for a patient to match a donor from any racial or ethnic group, the most likely match is someone from a similar background. “More people from diverse backgrounds are needed on the NMDP Registry, so all patients in need can have a second chance at life,” said Jennifer Bowman, PR Manager, Rock River Valley Blood Center.
Each year, thousands of patients are diagnosed with life-threatening blood diseases such as leukemia. For a chance to survive, these patients need healthy marrow and blood cells to help their bodies make new, healthy marrow.
The first step to becoming a donor is to join the NMDP Registry. Anyone age 18 - 60 who meets the health guidelines can join. Volunteers should be committed to helping any patient in need. To join, volunteers complete a short health questionnaire and sign a form stating that they understand what it means to be listed on the NMDP Registry. Then, a small swab of cheek cells is taken to determine the tissue type to be matched against patients who need a donor. This information is added to the NMDP Registry.
The NMDP facilitates unrelated marrow and blood cell transplants as the hub for a long-standing collaborative Network of national and international leading medical facilities in blood and marrow transplantation. The NMDP connects patients, doctors, donors and researchers to the resources they need to help more people live longer and healthier lives.
For more information about marrow and blood cell donation, contact the Rock River Valley Blood Center at 815-965-8751 or the NMDP at 1-800-MARROW-2. Online information is available at www.marrow.org and www.rrvbc.org.

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