Step Up, Big Apple: Be a Bone Marrow Donor This Weekend

Alan Cohen is a regular guy, a family man. The father of two twin girls and a much loved husband and friend, it's doubtful that Cohen ever expected to find himself searching desperately for a bone marrow match.

Life doesn't always make sense, though, and his man who never thought it could happen to him is now battling acute erythroleukemia. Not yet 50, Cohen needs the right donor to make sure he can live out the many years he should have remaining.

Throughout the next week in New York City, Be The Match Registry is hosting donation drives and testing sites in hopes of securing a donor match willing and able to help Cohen fight for recovery.

The process is probably not what you think, so make sure you separate the myths from the facts on how easy and safe it is. Bone marrow donation is often associated with painful procedures and self-sacrifice; but times have changed and the process is much easier. Donors can opt for a simple outpatient surgical extraction of marrow directly from the bone or opt for the newer peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) harvesting that isn't much different than giving plasma. With PBSC — now the more preferred method of donation — stem cells are separated from the bloodstream by a preparatory medication, then blood is drawn with no surgery necessary.

Before you even think about the donation process, however, why not take a tiny first step? All it takes is a 10 second swab of your cheeks and you're done — DNA goes in the hopper and your name is placed on a list. If your particular blood cells can be of use down the line, they'll call you to see if you're game. Anyone between the ages of 18 and 80 can donate and, of course, it doesn't cost a thing.

If you can't make it to one of the designated testing locations this weekend for Cohen, it's easy to have a kit mailed to you, either via the Jewish Registry (use the code SAVEALAN) or the National Registry (use the code alancohen). Even with a flood of support, organizers need thousands of people to step up and get tested. It's often difficult to find an exact match and in Alan's case, time is of the essence. Alternately, you can donate money to help test and process the swabs quickly. Click here for more information.

If you're in the New York area, get out for some fresh air and say "ahhhh" for a swab this weekend. And if you're not, be sure to visit Be The Match Registry for more information on how you can get tested and stored in the database for potential future donations.

Upcoming drives and locations:

Sat., Nov. 21, 2009
Bronx - Riverdale
Riverdale Country School
5250 Fieldston Road
Bronx, NY
10 AM – 3:30 PM
contact: mantonucci@riverdale.edu

Sun. Nov. 22, 2009
Westchester County, New York
Temple Beth Abraham
25 Leroy Avenue
Tarrytown, NY 10591
9am-1pm
Contact: (888) 638-2870

Sun., Nov. 22, 2009
New York City – Upper East Side
General Bone Marrow Drive for “Mitzvah Day”
Park Avenue Synagogue
50 East 87th Street
Contact: ericachoset@gmail.com

Sun., Nov. 22, 2009
Montreal, Canada
Gelber Conference Centre
5151 Cote Street Catherine Road
10am-4pm
Contact: rabbi@ckbj.com