It is with great sorrow that we announce the loss of our dear friend Alan Snyder, on September 28 in Palo Alto, California.

Our hearts go out to Alan's wife Susan, who has been an unbelievable pillar of strength for him. It was only four months ago that they traveled to New York to meet Alans blood stem cell donor, Sharona Rosenberg. They were introduced on the morning of May 20 at the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE), just before the opening bell. Gift of Life was pleased to be able to fulfill Alans dream of meeting his donor at this important landmark which held special, personal meaning for him. They were honored later that evening at the Partners for Life Gala.

The Snyders became involved with Gift of Life after Alans diagnosis. Like many patients, he was told that he needed a blood stem cell transplant. When they turned to international registries of potential donors, it was initially thought that none of the approximately nine million registered volunteer donors were a match. Alans donor, Sharona was eventually found in Gift of Lifes registry. Her first of two separate donations to Alan took place in New York City on September 11, 2001, and her life-extending cells made the trip to California across the skies of a bewildered and anguished nation. On a day when other planes were tools of destruction, one plane was carrying the gifts of life, courage, and hope. Who else but Alan and Susan could have envisioned the poetry and beauty of Alan and Sharona meeting at the NYSE, a symbol of our national resilience?

During their ordeal, the Snyders learned firsthand the fear and frustration that came with the thought that a donor match could not be found for Alan. They also learned of the extraordinary financial burden a search can place on the families of patients needing transplants. Even after Alans donor was found, the Snyders continued to generously fund Gift of Life's retrospective typing project, an initiative whereby todays more comprehensive DNA based tissue typing techniques are applied to donor samples that were collected years ago and have been stored in Gift of Life's sample repository. By fully typing previously tested donors, as well as registering thousands of new ones, Alan and Susan have been able to facilitate nearly 20 transplants that otherwise might never have occurred, and more are sure to follow in the years to come.

Alan had the joy of meeting a fellow transplant recipient who knew that her donor had been found in Gift of Lifes registry as a result of Alan's support. Jennifer Rutansky, who had been diagnosed with Hodgkins disease, is now a newlywed with a bright future. She considers Alan to be one of her guardian angels. Jennifer expressed her appreciation to Alan just days before his passing in the following letter, which she and Susan have kindly allowed us to share:

Alans ability to rally his own community for donor recruitment drives and his personal support for our work was nothing short of inspirational. Although he will be missed by all those who knew him, Alan's memory will live on in our hearts and will be a part of our daily lives.

Alan made a difference in the world during his lifetime, and we at Gift of Life are certain this is just the beginning. We are truly honored to announce that Gift of Life's Patient Advocacy Program will now be named in Alan's memory, enabling countless patients to learn by example about the importance of being well informed, educated and proactive in their medical circumstances. Alan is a role model for all patients, and his memory will live on in perpetuity through the Alan B. Snyder Patient Advocacy Program. To support the program, click here.

About Alan Snyder:
Alan founded Snyder Capital Management, a money management firm specializing in investment advisory services for clients such as college and university endowments, museums and religious foundations, Fortune 500 pension funds and wealthy individuals. Prior to founding his company, he worked at Bankers Trust in New York City, was Vice President at Rowe & Pittman, Vice President of Research at Cantor, Fitzgerald in Los Angeles, and Vice President at Siebel Capital Management in the San Francisco Bay Area.

Alan graduated from high school at Baltimore City College in Baltimore, Maryland. He graduated cum laude with a B.A. degree in chemistry from the University of Maryland, an M.S. degree in physical organic chemistry at Yale University, and an MBA in finance from the University of California at Berkeley. He and his wife, Susan, are very active supporters of numerous charities. Alan served on many boards, including the American Conservatory Theatre, Congregation Emanu-el, The Jerusalem Foundation, Jewish Community Center of San Francisco, Jewish Family & Childrens Services and the University of California (Berkeley) Foundation.