When Jay Feinberg was diagnosed with leukemia and told he would need a bone marrow transplant to survive, he had no idea that his personal journey would result in the establishment of a grassroots organization that would later save the lives of hundreds of patients in need. But that's precisely what happened.

 

Jay's story is one of transforming adversity into success. When he got sick, Jay was told that a transplant could save his life but that he would die needlessly—because he would never find a matching donor. He quickly learned the reason why. A patient's best chance of finding a genetic match lies with those of similar ethnic background. Unfortunately, the worldwide registry was not representative of all ethnic groups, and Jay was Jewish. There was an urgent need to add diversity to the registry, and time was of the essence.