Togetherhood and the South Mountain YMCA are hosting a Bone Marrow Donor Registration Drive on Saturday, Feb. 20 at the Y’s Early Childhood Learning Center at 10 West Parker, Maplewood, across from Gleason Cleaners from 9 a.m.-1 p.m.
According to Togetherhood organizer Elizabeth Sarkisian, “Our goal is to add as many people (aged 18-55) as possible to the National Bone Marrow Registry, in hopes that they could be a match to any person in need.”
Togetherhood is a national YMCA program which promotes member-led volunteer projects that benefit the community at large.
The drive is especially timely, said Sarkisian, in that the director of South Mountain Y’s sister West Essex YMCA has a grandson, John Faro Vitale, who is currently seeking a match to help him fight a rare blood disease. Vitale is a first grader who loves to play soccer and watch football. Read more about Vitale below.
“But potential registrants should be willing to become a donor for ANY person in need, not just John,” said Sarkisian. “In fact, the National Registry in particular is in need of non-white registrants of all ethnicities, who remain under-represented. The best hope for a match is similar genetics, so the more people on the registry, the better the chance for a match.”
Getting on the registry is as simple as answering a few questions, filling out a little paperwork, and swabbing the inside of your cheeks for 30 seconds. The entire process takes less than 10 minutes.
Sarkisian added, “We hope that the community will come out in full force to show their support for this cause, and to give hope to those in urgent need.”
