The Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation celebrated Jewish Heritage Day at Shea Stadium on Sunday, August 24, 2008 by uniting a leukemia survivor with the man whose generous blood stem cell donation saved his life. The reunion took place in a private suite donated by the Mets as they took on the Houston Astros in an afternoon game, including visits by mascot Mr. Met and Omar Minaya, Vice President of Baseball Operations & General Manager.

Donor Steven Eisenberg of Woodmere, NY donated his blood stem cells to Gary Schnitzer of Metuchen, New Jersey at New York Presbyterian-Weill Cornell Medical Center on November 7, 2006. Eisenberg was tested to enter the Gift of Life registry on June 27, 2004 at Congregation Young Israel of Woodmere. He is married to Malka and together they have four children. Recipient Gary Schnitzer is now 45-years-old and has a son with his wife Loren. Schnitzer was diagnosed with leukemia in 2006, and a blood stem cell transplant was necessary in order to save his life. 

International regulations dictate that the process of bone marrow donation be anonymous. Donors and recipients may only meet by mutual agreement at least one year after the transplant has occurred. Neither the donor or recipient knew the other’s identity until the initial meeting.  "Getting tested is like buying a lottery ticket... if you're a match, you both hit the jackpot!" said a joyful Eisenberg at their meeting.

The Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation facilitates bone marrow, blood stem cell and cord blood transplants for children and adults suffering from life-threatening illnesses. Since tissue type is inherited, a patient’s best chance of finding a genetic match lies with donors of similar ethnicity. Gift of Life strives to increase the representation of Jewish donors in the registry in order to overcome the devastating effects of the Holocaust, which severed bloodlines.

At the introduction, Executive Director Jay Feinberg announced Gift of Life is currently undertaking an ambitious campaign to register 25,000 new bone marrow and blood stem cell donors during the High Holidays this year, and you can help to sound the call to action by visiting us online at www.giftoflife.org to have a testing kit mailed to your home.