My name is Steven Measer and I am in need of a bone marrow (stem cell) transplant. I am the husband of St. Dorothy Teacher Elaine Measer and father to St. Dorothy 7th Grader Matthew Measer and St. Lucy High School Junior Jacqueline Measer. I has been fighting an extremely aggressive form of non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma (Burkitt's type) for the past 3 years (started in July 2005). I am at a point in my treatment where I can no longer receive chemotherapy as the drugs are doing more harm than good. I have received 17 chemotheraphy treatments and 14 lumbar punctures (most with chemo infusions) in the past three years. I am in need of a life-saving bone marrow transplant and have been looking for a matching donor. There are currently 7 million registered donors nationwide and 11 million worldwide. My doctor checks the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) daily but currently there are no matches to my tissue type. You could be the ONE! Please register your bone marrow with the National Marrow Donor Program. My doctor has access to the Donor Registry which is checked daily to see if a match is made. The Donor Registry can be joined in several ways. The only requirement to join is that you are between 18 and 60 years of age and are in good health. Each year, 10,000 people across the U.S. are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma. A genetically matching transplant may save their lives, but only 3 out of 10 patients will find a match in their family. The rest must search a registry to find that one caring stranger willing to donate his or her marrow or blood cells. Each of us has the unique power to save a life, but we must be typed and registered so that patients can find us. Patients with a rare genetic type, especially racial or ethnic minorities, have difficulty finding a matching donor and getting the transplant they need. For example, 83% of African American/Black patients who needed a transplant in 2007 could NOT find a match. We must eliminate this disparity and help everyone in need by building the largest and most diverse registry possible. Countless people with leukemia, lymphoma, or 70 other blood-related and genetic diseases have died needlessly because they could not locate that one unique donor. We have the technology and the science to make transplant a viable option for patients of all ages and from all walks of life. If we also had a larger and more diverse potential donor pool, then all patients could have a life-saving option. With committed donors and renewed hope, thousands of lives would be saved. We can all help and have a roll in saving lives. Think about it - citizens learning about the great need and coming together to join the registry for the sake of a stranger in need. This opportunity allows each of us to commit and contribute in a truly unique and life-changing way. We can also get the word out and encourage others to register. If it were your mother, father, sister, brother, or friend, wouldn't you hope that there were strangers out there willing to give the gift of life?
Why You Should Help
The NMDP relies on its fundraising partner, The Marrow Foundation, to collect contributions from people like you so that it can further its mission. I hope you'll consider making a contribution today. Your gift WILL help save lives!
Please visit www.marrow.org or email your address to brunomazer@aol.com and I will have a free cheek swab kit mailed to your home so that you can join the registry and save a life.
Also check out the following YouTube video explaining the need for bone marrow donors - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=83EoPkw5OJs
Thank you,
Steven Measer
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