Bone Marrow Drive

BONE MARROW DRIVE AT THE KATONAH VILLAGE LIBRARY

Drop by the Katonah Village Library for some music and refreshments and you just might save a life.

On Saturday, May 24, the Driving for Donors campaign will be at the Katonah Village Library from 10 a.m. until 4 p.m. You'll have the opportunity to enjoy refreshments and music by Sloan Wainwright and Marc Black. But much more important, you'll be able to sign up for the donor registry and possibly save the life of someone who's been stricken with leukemia, lymphoma or a blood disorder.

This event will be hosted by two local families who know about the National Donor Registry all too well. Jeff Morris, Showtime executive, was diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia or AML in 2004. He had been in a solid remission for two and a half years when his leukemia returned. His life depended on his doctors locating and identifying a suitable bone marrow donor--and quickly. They did. Jeff, his family and friends are thankful beyond words.

George McTavey, a master carpenter and builder, was diagnosed back in 2003 with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia (CLL) during a routine blood workup. It was a slow- developing case--but not slow enough. In 2006 he was treated with chemo and a high dose of steroids to treat his more aggressive leukemia. Like Jeff, he reached a point where only a marrow transplant would save his life. Luckily, a perfect match was found and George proceeded to transplant on January 15th of this year.

Both Jeff and George know how lucky they were to find a match. And they want to express their gratitude by helping with the National Bone Marrow Registry Drive. "We are hoping to spread the word and improve the odds for others," says Jeff Morris. "That is why we've joined forces to sponsor this event at the Katonah Village Library."

The Driving for Donors Drive was begun by Pat Pendraja, a 13-year-old boy from Tampa, Florida. He was diagnosed at age 11 with yet another form of the disease, Acute Lymphocytic Leukemia or ALL. Hopefully, having only the chemo will cure him but, should it not be enough, he knows he will have to rely on the National Bone Marrow Registry. As a Cuban American, he knows it will be more difficult for him to find a match because minorities are under represented.

So last year Pat decided to do something. He began the Driving for Donors tour. For more information see http://www.drivingfordonors.com. Through his work, he's added over 6500 names to the registry, and now, thanks to Jeff and George and their families, Katonah will be one of the stops on Pat's tour.

Jeff and George are asking everyone in good health between the ages of 18 and 55 to come out and help them in their mission. All that is required is a swab of your cheek. There's a 1 in 160,000 chance that you'll ever be called in your lifetime. As Jeff's wife, Luann, put it, "If that call does come, wouldn't you want to be the possibility of saving the life of your genetic twin? To learn more about what being a donor means, you can come to the library,” or go to http://www.dkmsamericas.org/category/donors/what-expect.

For further information, please contact the library at 914-232-3508