Jewish Bone Marrow Registry Screening at Berkeley
Who: AEPi, working with the Gift of Life Foundation and the Jewish Student Union.

What: A screening to add more Jewish donors to the nationwide bone marrow registry. At the time of the screening, a participant would fill out paperwork, answer questions about their health history, and swab the inside of their cheek with a Q-tip to gather some cells that would be used to type their bone marrow. There is no blood or needles involved, although people wishing to participate should be willing to donate bone marrow or have stem cells harvested from their blood in the future if they turn out to be a life-saving match for someone.

Where: Hillel, located on Bancroft right below Piedmont, across from Boalt Hall.

When: Wednesday, April 27th, from 11 to 5. People wishing to participate can schedule an appointment by e-mail calratto@berkeley.edu or drop in next Wednesday. Participants should be prepared to spend up to an hour, depending on how busy it is (although it will almost certainly take less time).

Why: Jews suffering from diseases like leukemia who are need of a bone marrow transplant have had a much more difficult time finding a suitable match. The Holocaust severed many bloodlines and left many Jews without a large base of relatives to rely on, the best people to turn to when in need of a bone marrow transplant. To overcome the difficulty faced by Jews facing life-threatening diseases, Gift of Life has been sponsoring bone marrow drives in order to get more Jews signed up on the registry. Gift of Life cooperates with other national registries when someone is in need of a donor, but they specifically try to get more Jews to become donors because of the historical difficulty that Jews have faced in finding a match, and because with the expenses involved with screening someone, they are only able to target a limited population.

Anyone seeking more information, please see the Gift of Life website, or e-mail me with any questions you may have. If you would life to schedule a time to join the registry, please send an e-mail with the time on Wednesday you would like to stop by, and a phone number that you can be reached at.

A very heartfelt thank you to everyone who particpates in this, or passes on word to some Jewish friends.Email This Post!