Be The Match For Jen

This post has been *updated* below with some good news. Old links that are referenced have been removed.

A friend just told me about Jennifer Jones Austin. She has leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. Take a look at the website to learn more. Below is an excerpt from the website.

"Jennifer Jones Austin is 41, a wife and mother of two children, ages 12 and 7. She is suffering from Leukemia, and is in an immediate need of a bone marrow transplant. Without a bone marrow transplant, doctors have indicated that her chances of survival are slim.

A bone marrow transplant requires a 100% compatible match. Because none of her siblings were a match, her best chance of finding one is through the Be The Match Marrow Registry. That is why we are asking for YOUR help. Be The Match Registry is in need of registered donors.

A simple cheek swab is all that is needed to determine if YOU could be the one to save Jennifer or one of the other thousands of patients in need of a bone marrow transplant.

Donation only requires a blood donation and a surgical procedure is NOT required."

From the website, I also learned that Jen is an attorney, a graduate of Fordham Law School and Rutgers University. She's been an advocate for children and families for nearly 20 years.

There are a number of bone marrow drives going on in the next few days. Unfortunately, several of them had to be postponed due to the bad weather. There is one today in the Bronx, New York. Below is the information.

Donor Drive
Monday, December 21, 2009 - 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.
BronxWorks Community Center
1130 Grand Concourse
Bronx, NY 10456
Contact: Pablo Patritti E-Mail, 888-638-2870 or Pablo@icla.org

Check this list for more donor drive dates. If you can't make one of these, then take a look at the website for the The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). Maybe you can be the match for someone else. Many years ago I signed up at a donor drive.

Please spread the word! Maybe Jen and her family will get a Christmas miracle. You just never know who'll read about Jen; decide to get tested and then be a match! Let's hope!

*Updated 6/18/2013* Since I wrote this  post several years ago, I wondered what had happened to Jen. Was she okay? Did she ever find a match? So I did a quick search. She found a match and as of February 2011, she was one year cancer free! Great news! If you're reading this and you haven't signed up to be a donor, please consider doing so. You could save a life!


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