| BAPS Charities BONE MARROW DRIVE
SAN JOSE, CA
04.16.2006
San Jose, CA, USA
BAPS Charities in collaboration with the Asian
American Donor Program (AADP) hosted a bone marrow donor
registration drive in Milpitas, CA. AADP is a community
non-profit organization whose mission is to increase donor
awareness among the Asian American community.
Of 6 million nationally registered bone
marrow donors, only about 100,000 are of South Asian origin;
making this community the most underrepresented racial group
of marrow donors in the US. For South Asian children and
adults who need a bone marrow transplant in order to survive
a life-threatening illness, the best hope of survival is
finding a match within the South Asian community.
In addition to donor awareness, another
goal of the event was to help find a bone marrow donor match
for Parag K. Patel, a resident of New Jersey who has been
diagnosed with Acute Monocytic Leukemia in February 2006.
Parag’s only chance rests in the identification of
a bone marrow transplant.
The drive featured an innovative new technique
for donor registration which does not require a blood sample.
The Buccal Swab procedure uses a few swabs of saliva, from
the inside of the cheek, to determine blood type and compatibility.
Over 150 people registered as potential donors.
|
)
