In 1991, 25-year-old Bill Begal boarded a flight to Belarus with his uncle Arnie Dryman to travel to Grodno, the ancestral home of a young leukemia patient, Jay Feinberg, to test local volunteers in the hope of finding a match for Jay. Little did Bill realize the impact this trip would have on his life, and the lives of many others.
After Jay eventually received a bone marrow transplant, he dedicated his life to finding matches for others. Bill remained involved with the organization serving in myriad ways, including serving as an international courier delivering stem cells to transplant centers around the world, years of tenure on Gift of Life’s board of directors, and currently serving as Chairman Emeritus. Bill has made Gift of Life his personal mission.
Bill and his bride Kira Epstein married in 2017, and in lieu of wedding gifts, requested contributions to their Gift of Life fundraising campaign, the Begal-Epstein Family Donor Circle.
Their donor circle has now raised over $200,000 dollars, adding more than 4,000 donors to the registry, and as of today, 100 potentially lifesaving matches have been found for patients.
Thank you, Bill and Kira, for everything you do for Gift of Life Marrow Registry, and the patients we serve.