Becky Faibisoff (l), the donor who gave Gift of Life founder Jay Feinberg his lifesaving transplant, with Gift of Life's Chairman of the Board, Bill Begal (r). 

Gift of Life Marrow Registry held the inaugural D.C. Welcome Brunch on Sunday, June 26, 2016, at The Riggsby in the Carlyle Hotel. Forty-five local volunteers, bone marrow donors and transplant recipients gathered to meet in person for food, fun and networking.

Gift of Life (GOL) Chairman of the Board Bill Begal welcomed attendees with an overview of the organization’s history and recent news of multiple milestones being achieved this year.

“When Gift of Life founder Jay Feinberg was diagnosed with leukemia, he was told he would never find his lifesaving match.” said Begal. “Now, 25 years later as we celebrate our silver anniversary, Gift of Life’s tremendous effort has registered more than 250,000 donors in the registry, and this month Gift of Life facilitated its 3,000th lifesaving transplant.”

The donor who saved Jay’s life 25 years ago, Becky Faibisoff, was at the brunch and told the story of how she discovered she was Jay’s match. “I was the last person tested on the last day of the last drive, after a four year search to find Jay’s donor,” said Becky. “When I learned that I was his perfect match I felt like I had won the lottery!”

Begal introduced D.C.- based Community Engagement Coordinator Sarah Weiss. A recent graduate of the University of Maryland (UMD), Weiss will be organizing and attending events in the area to engage and unite the Gift of Life community and help boost involvement. She initially became involved with Gift of Life during her gap year when she joined the registry while in Israel. Upon her return to the U.S., she assisted in running drives on campus and in 2015 became the Campus Ambassador at UMD.  

“This brunch was a great opportunity to meet our local donors and recipients, supporters and coordinators,” said Sarah. “There are so many people in the D.C. area with a connection to Gift of Life, this event gave us a great start on building a community. Every person you educate on bone marrow donation, every drive you help organize, and every person you swab is another potential life saved, and there's no better feeling!”

The brunch also served as a kick-off to the start of preparations for the 3rd Annual DC Steps for Life 5K. The Walk/Run will be held at Fletcher’s Cove in C&O Canal Historical Park on Sunday, September 25, 2016.

Gift of Life is seeking volunteers to join the Steps for Life committee and participate in planning, promoting and supporting the event. A wide range of opportunities are available, including serving on the organizing committee, forming a run/walk team, fundraising and more.  

To get involved, call Gift of Life Race Coordinator Jennifer DeGruccio at 561-982-2935 or email at jdegruccio@giftoflife.org.