Save a life!

A couple weeks ago I read an article in the local paper about a young, beautiful, stay-at-home mom that has acute myelogenous leukemia, or AML, a fast-growing cancer of the blood and bone marrow. It really hit home to me after reading the article because I used to live next door to her husband, Justin, when I was younger. I don't know her personally, but he comes from a great family and I used to call him my best friend. I can't imagine him losing his wife so tragically, and him having to raise two precious daughters, over something so simple as not finding a match for a donor. There has got to be someone out there that can help this family! I thought to myself, what if this was me or MY husband? I immediately signed up at http://www.marrow.org to receive a testing kit to see if I match ANYONE whom I can help. I was never aware of bone marrow donation until I read about this...

According to Amanda, joining the national registry through the National Marrow Donor Program is a simple swab of your mouth, and if you are a match, they will call you. Donating bone marrow is almost as simple as donating blood.

It's free to sign up online, test, and mail back. You can also make a monetary donation online, if you would like. I signed up Thursday night on my computer, received the kit yesterday,

took four swabs of my mouth this morning, and already mailed it back. Today is Tuesday and makes day five.
I really hope I am a match for someone! I would love to save a life. I pray Amanda finds her match soon and gets her health back, so she can enjoy those two beautiful daughters and watch them grow up. I ask that you log on to http://www.marrow.org and take ten minutes to sign up, you could literally save a life!
*Amanda's family has organized a bone marrow donor drive and fundraiser set for July 24 from noon to 4 p.m. at Christ the King Lutheran Church, 1001 West Esplanade Ave., Kenner. She needs to find someone with a Filipino or Asian background to donate.