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PRESS RELEASE
Armenian Prelacy of Canada
Contact
Name: Dania Ohanian
Phone: (514) 856-1200
E-mail: [email protected]
The Armenian Prelacy of Canada Organizes Bone Marrow Drive with the
Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
November 26, 2004, Montreal (Qc)_ In a step towards lending a hand to
Armenians across the world suffering from blood illnesses, His Eminency,
Archbishop Khajag Hagopian, Prelate, upon hearing about the Armenian Bone
Marrow Project, insisted that the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
(ABMDR) bring their drive to Montreal.
Established in 1999, the ABMDR is an internationally accredited,
independent, non-governmental, non-profit organization, whose mission is to
ensure that every Armenian (and others) struck with leukemia or other blood
related diseases have the hope of finding a genetically suitable match for a
bone marrow transplant, which often is the only and final life-saving
procedure for the patient.
The founders of the Registry, Dr. Frieda Jordan and Dr. Sevak Avagyan (who
met each other through the Armenian Relief Society), were at the Armenian
community centre on November 26 for a detailed lecture on the procedures of
the ABMDR and to relay the importance of the Armenian Bone Marrow Project,
which has 9,000 donors to date, but needs 10,000 in order to be a
full-fledged registry.
A member of the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) and the World Marrow
Donor Worldwide (WMDW), the ABMDR shares its database information with other
registries around the world and currently has more than 150 patients in need
of a transplant. The registry has two, state-of-the-art tissue typing
laboratories; one in Yerevan run by Dr. Avagyan (Executive Director), and
the other in Glendora, California, run by Dr. Jordan (President).
Due to the unique genetic make up of Armenians in terms of transplantation
antigens (the substance needed to create antibodies, which leads to the
healthy development of blood cells), finding a bone marrow match is more
likely to occur among other Armenians. With the lack of Armenian donors in
other registries, the ABMDR is the greatest hope for Armenians across the
world to find a potential match.
For every 200 donors, one match is projected and the survival rate after a
transplant for adults is 40 to 50 percent and 60 to 70 percent for children,
depending on a number of factors, including the type and stage of the
disease and the patient's condition.
A typically painless procedure, becoming a donor only involves withdrawing a
little amount of blood (5 CCs) from which the DNA is extracted and the
antigens are identified. If a match is found, further tests are required and
due to medical advances, becoming a bone marrow donor has become almost
pain-free unlike before, explained Dr. Avagyan.
The ABMDR's first donor was Armenia's First Lady, Dr. Bella Kocharian, who
is also the Honorary Chairperson of the registry, whereas the first
voluntary donor in Lebanon during the registry's visit in April 2004 was His
Holiness Aram I of the House of Cilicia, who was very impressed with the
project.
The ABMDR has received the Presidential Award in the field of medicine in
Armenia, as well as certificates of recognition from California state
government officials, including a special "Woman of the Year Award in
Science and Technology" to Dr. Jordan, among others.
The bone marrow recruitment drive in Montreal will be taking place at the
community centre in the Aharonian Hall on Saturday December 4th and Sunday
December 5th, 2004, between 11am and 2pm and is open to all healthy adults
between 18 and 55 years old.
-30-
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
Armenian Prelacy of Canada
Contact
Name: Dania Ohanian
Phone: (514) 856-1200
E-mail: [email protected]
The Armenian Prelacy of Canada Organizes Bone Marrow Drive with the
Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
November 26, 2004, Montreal (Qc)_ In a step towards lending a hand to
Armenians across the world suffering from blood illnesses, His Eminency,
Archbishop Khajag Hagopian, Prelate, upon hearing about the Armenian Bone
Marrow Project, insisted that the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
(ABMDR) bring their drive to Montreal.
Established in 1999, the ABMDR is an internationally accredited,
independent, non-governmental, non-profit organization, whose mission is to
ensure that every Armenian (and others) struck with leukemia or other blood
related diseases have the hope of finding a genetically suitable match for a
bone marrow transplant, which often is the only and final life-saving
procedure for the patient.
The founders of the Registry, Dr. Frieda Jordan and Dr. Sevak Avagyan (who
met each other through the Armenian Relief Society), were at the Armenian
community centre on November 26 for a detailed lecture on the procedures of
the ABMDR and to relay the importance of the Armenian Bone Marrow Project,
which has 9,000 donors to date, but needs 10,000 in order to be a
full-fledged registry.
A member of the World Marrow Donor Association (WMDA) and the World Marrow
Donor Worldwide (WMDW), the ABMDR shares its database information with other
registries around the world and currently has more than 150 patients in need
of a transplant. The registry has two, state-of-the-art tissue typing
laboratories; one in Yerevan run by Dr. Avagyan (Executive Director), and
the other in Glendora, California, run by Dr. Jordan (President).
Due to the unique genetic make up of Armenians in terms of transplantation
antigens (the substance needed to create antibodies, which leads to the
healthy development of blood cells), finding a bone marrow match is more
likely to occur among other Armenians. With the lack of Armenian donors in
other registries, the ABMDR is the greatest hope for Armenians across the
world to find a potential match.
For every 200 donors, one match is projected and the survival rate after a
transplant for adults is 40 to 50 percent and 60 to 70 percent for children,
depending on a number of factors, including the type and stage of the
disease and the patient's condition.
A typically painless procedure, becoming a donor only involves withdrawing a
little amount of blood (5 CCs) from which the DNA is extracted and the
antigens are identified. If a match is found, further tests are required and
due to medical advances, becoming a bone marrow donor has become almost
pain-free unlike before, explained Dr. Avagyan.
The ABMDR's first donor was Armenia's First Lady, Dr. Bella Kocharian, who
is also the Honorary Chairperson of the registry, whereas the first
voluntary donor in Lebanon during the registry's visit in April 2004 was His
Holiness Aram I of the House of Cilicia, who was very impressed with the
project.
The ABMDR has received the Presidential Award in the field of medicine in
Armenia, as well as certificates of recognition from California state
government officials, including a special "Woman of the Year Award in
Science and Technology" to Dr. Jordan, among others.
The bone marrow recruitment drive in Montreal will be taking place at the
community centre in the Aharonian Hall on Saturday December 4th and Sunday
December 5th, 2004, between 11am and 2pm and is open to all healthy adults
between 18 and 55 years old.
-30-
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress