As many of you know, my mother was diagnosed with Lymphoma a few years ago. Fortunately her treatments were successful and she has been doing well. My mother's illness made me aware of the difficult process that many cancer patients face when trying to conquer their disease. One group of cancer patients who face a major challenge are those who are trying to find a matching donor for a bone marrow transplant. A transplant can be critical to the survival of someone battling a blood related cancer, as it's often a last line of defense. It is difficult to comprehend that a loved one may not survive for lack of a bone marrow match, when chances are there is a match out there.



This is why I joined the board for the Gift of Life Young Professionals Committee. The Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation is a national Jewish bone marrow registry which matches cancer patients with bone marrow donors. Gift of Life has only one purpose: to help save lives. It is my hope that I can make a significant impact in helping grow the Gift of Life footprint and ensure that a bone marrow transplant is an option for those who have no alternative treatment to battle cancer.



The GOL Young Professionals Committee is launching its first "swab-a-thon" campaign and we are aiming to add 350 potential donors to the Gift of Life bone marrow registry over the next three months as well as raise the $54 needed for processing each new registered donor. My personal goal for this initiative is to raise $5,400 (all funds raised go directly towards paying the cost of processing the kit) and add 30 potential new donors to the registry.



We all probably know someone who has been affected in some way by a terrible life threatening illness. I am reaching out to everyone because I truly believe this is an extremely important and effective way of saving lives. There are two ways that you can help: (1) make a donation towards funding the processing costs of new potential donors or (2) become a member of the registry by having your mouth swabbed (see below for details).



Thank you for your support!



Jason