With great sadness Gift of Life marks the loss of Avi Karesh, a member of our board of directors and a strong advocate of people joining the bone marrow registry. Avi was a donor himself, and saved the life of Ken Strauss, a 65-year-old man who battled Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. He and Ken met in person for the first time at the 2009 Gift of Life Gala in New York. That moment was so inspiring that Avi became an avid and active ambassador for our organization.

 Avi was an incredibly proactive volunteer, hosting recruitment drives and raising funds to sponsor the tissue typing of donor kits. To date, Avi’s Donor Circle has raised $63,832, registered 1,512 donors and found 38 matches which have resulted in four lifesaving transplants.  Because of his passion for Gift of Life’s mission and his contributions to the organization, Avi was invited to join the Gift of Life Board of Directors on June 26, 2016.

“Avi always astonished us with his energy and commitment,” said Gift of Life CEO/Founder Jay Feinberg. “We not only valued his contributions to our organization, he was our friend. All of us at Gift of Life offer our condolences to his family.”

Avi passed away on August 17, 2016, due to a respiratory infection. He was surrounded by both family and loved ones.

“As both a stem cell donor and recent recipient, I can honestly say I have never seen more heroic and committed people than Jay and the entire staff of Gift of Life.  They do whatever it takes to give you that second chance!” –Avi Karesh