An Open Email

This is the email I've been circulating. Pass it on to anyone that you know...

Friends -

I'm writing to ask for your help. As many of you know, our friend Lars Larsen recently overcame a battle with non-hodgkins lymphoma after 6 months of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. We were all ecstatic that Lars was able to beat this awful disease. Never one to take the easy route, Lars was recently diagnosed with leukemia.

For those of you who don't know Lars, he is one of our dearest and oldest friends. He's that person who epitomizes the term "good guy". Only this good guy has been dealt a tough hand a second time in his life, so we're trying everything in our power to make sure he doesn't fight this battle alone.

In order to help him beat this disease, we're working to help find a suitable bone marrow donor. A marrow transplant will save his life, and we're determined to help find a match. We're asking all of our friends (and their friends) to consider the gift of marrow donation.

About 30% of all patients in need of a transplant are able to find a matching donor from within their families. The remaining 70%, however, must search the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry of donors.

Sonya and I actually joined the registry back in the 90’s, but have yet to be identified as suitable donors for anyone as of yet.

We’re asking all of you to consider this test. Entry into the NMDP could help Lars as well as many other Leukemia patients who are in need of marrow transplants.

For those of you located in the San Francisco Bay Area, the Stanford Hospital Blood Center will run this test for free for any Caucasian donor who contributes a pint of blood. Minority donors may be tested without the blood donation free of charge.

You can schedule an appointment with the Blood Center by calling Derek or Diane at (650)723-5532

For those of you outside of the Bay Area, you can find donor info at http://www.marrow.org. or by calling Irma Naverez at NMDP (510)601-6233.

For more information on donating bone marrow, the NMDP has established a great FAQ at: http://www.marrow.org/DONOR/ABCs/index.html

I’m blogging info on general marrow donation and Lars’ progress at: http://marrowdonor.blogspot.com/ The information I listed in this email and much more can be found on this blog.

This is a huge sacrifice to make, but it is one that could save a life. Help us find a donor for Lars.

Sincerely,
Mike and Sonya Lee


P.S. You can also help by spreading the word. Pass this email on to a friend or co-worker.