Jaime and Markus didn’t have an ordinary wedding reception. Amid the usual festivities, the young couple decided to host a donor recruitment drive. When planning for their big day, Jaime and Markus knew that they wanted their guests to have a great time; weddings are already meaningful and full of celebration, but they wanted to add a little something extra for their guests, so the idea to host a donor drive during the wedding reception was implemented.

Jaime joined the bone marrow registry after Gift of Life visited her college Hillel; she was reintroduced to us during her Birthright trip to Israel, where her fellow peers also joined the registry. A year or two passed by, and she read a news article about Alan, a patient in need of a bone marrow transplant, and his search for a match. It struck a chord with her as Alan had twin daughters, and Jaime is a twin, as well. In the article, it was mentioned that a patient’s best chance for a match lies with someone of the same ethnic background.

Alan happened to be of Ashkenazi Jewish heritage, as was Jaime’s then-fiancé, Markus. The two went down to a local synagogue where a drive was being held for Alan, and Markus signed up to be a donor. Enthusiastic about helping to save a life, they encouraged their friends to join, as well. While some did, others did not, and this caused some frustration for Jaime because she didn’t know why someone wouldn’t go out of their way to potentially save a life.

Within a few weeks, she learned that Alan lost his battle and passed away, but his story had a tremendous impact and made her realize that this could happen to anyone.  Towards the end of planning for her wedding, she thought about how special it was that all of her and Markus’ friends and family would be together in celebration, and she knew it would be a wonderful opportunity to get those who hadn’t registered yet to sign up and join. Hosting the drive during the reception meant that someone could not use the excuse of not knowing where to go to register!

“A wedding is a very joyous and happy occasion, but, as the symbolic breaking of the glass reminds us, even at our moments of greatest joy we should remember those who are suffering,” remarks Jaime. Their willingness to share their special day to help patients in need and grow the registry shows their compassion and caring for others.  Registering only takes a few minutes, and the potential to save a life is well worth the time spent. To inquire about running your own donor drive, please contact our recruitment coordinator at recruitment@giftoflife.org.