MEGA Event Celebration
Jul 30, 2013 by Gift of Life
News
The Taglit-Birthright Israel program, which provides the gift of free first time trips to Israel for Jewish young adults, is often described as the opportunity of a lifetime. Each year, thousands of participants from as many as 45 countries spend 10 days touring the country and connecting with their Jewish homeland. Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation has been thrilled to present these lucky travelers with another rare opportunity- the chance to save lives by joining its registry of volunteer bone marrow and blood stem cell donors.
The partnership between Gift of Life and Taglit-Birthright Israel, now in its tenth year, has been credited with recruiting over 27,000 young, healthy donors onto Gift of Life’s registry, as well as identifying over 800 potential matches for patients in need of lifesaving transplants! According to Gift of Life's Chief Administrative Officer, Barby Sloven, who has traveled to Israel to help with the recruitment effort, "many of the Birthright participants have told me they felt that the trip to Israel was a gift, and that this was their chance to give something back to the Jewish community. They were very touched by our mission and anxious to participate."
Gift of Life donor drives are held in Israel at different times during Birthright trips, including the Mega Event, a high energy and impressive gathering attended by thousands of young travelers from around the world as well as Birthright alumni. On June 26, 2013 over 6,000 participants celebrated together at the Nokia Arena in Tel Aviv at one of the largest Mega Events ever held. With the theme of “Ignite Your Inner Light”, the event was attended by the President of Israel, Shimon Peres and leading philanthropists Dr. Miriam and Mr. Sheldon Adelson. It featured numerous Israeli performers including songwriter, singer and actor, Michael Harpaz, who served as the Master of Ceremonies.
In addition to speeches, music and dance performances, this year’s Mega Event featured a very special presentation celebrating the lifesaving matches made thanks to the partnership with Gift of Life. As thousands watched in anticipation, Michael, a transplant recipient from Ridgewood, New Jersey, was called to the stage and introduced to his donor, Matthew, who was tested to join Gift of Life’s registry while on a Birthright trip in January 2010. After a long embrace, Michael told the audience, “Were it not for Matthew’s willingness to save the life of a complete stranger, I would not be here speaking to all of you today.” Diagnosed in 2006 with follicular non Hodgkin’s lymphoma, Michael was forced to rely on an unrelated donor’s cells for his transplant, the only treatment that could save his life. He added, “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to be here, to one day see my children marry and to hold my grandchildren, all things I am quite sure never would have been possible without your utterly selfless act.”
Michael explained, “My family and I are so fortunate and incredibly blessed that the partnership between Birthright and Gift of Life exists, because it was on a Birthright trip that Matthew got his cheek swabbed. It took less than two minutes, such a simple act, yet by doing that, he saved my life.”
Matthew, a 24 year old real estate investment analyst from Houston, Texas said, “Having a sister who (at the time of his cheek swab) had recently seen her cancer go into remission, I knew how the prolonged illness and fear of the unknown could affect a family. If I could help to alleviate that pain/suffering for someone else, even for a short period time, I thought it would definitely be worth it.” He added, “it is a bit overwhelming to be told that you have ‘saved a person’s life’, but I am glad that I was able to provide such joy to a stranger in need.”
