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MATCHMAKER: A DAY FOR BONE MARROW DONORS
By Franklin Tucker
Patch.com (Belmont)
Oct 28 2011
After finding her own donor, Marina Day is organizing Saturday's
drive to find one for Debbi Chapman.
Marina Day has an easy laugh that ends many of her sentences. Her
stylish, short-cropped, earth-color hair is in character with her
lyrical nature; a bright and easy approach to life.
The 22-year-old Bard College undergrad from Pine Lake, outside of
Atlanta, is currently living in Belmont with her mother and boyfriend
but is eager to return to Annandale-on-Hudson, New York for her senior
year, to return to performing the classical violin and creating her
own brand of "catchy pop-ish, unusual melodic music."
But first, Marina has to finally beat back this thing called cancer.
In August 2010, she was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia that
was treated with inhibitors. But after going into remission October,
the cancer mutated into a more severe form requiring Day to undergo
six rounds of chemotherapy in New York.
But in April of this year, Day was in Boston's Dana Farber Cancer
Institute receiving a bone marrow transplant, as best as she can guess,
from a teenage donor probably 4,000 miles away in Europe.
And despite a set back here and there, Day said her final treatment
was two weeks ago.
Day is an example of how someone can revive hope in a person
half-a-world away.
"I'm so grateful for this girl who was a perfect match, in perfect
health. I want someone to have the same experience," said Day, who
is helping a Belmont woman undergoing her own journey securing a donor.
Tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 29, from noon to 4 p.m., in the Belmont
Center office of Light Touch Chiropractic upstairs at 66 Leonard St.
with a quick swab of your cheek, participants older than 18 will be
entered into the Be The Match Morrow Registry operated by the National
Marrow Donor Program.
"It's a breeze. I mean, it involves a Q-tip. It can't be that
complicated," said Day, with that laugh, adding that Belmont Center
businesses are making donations and providing coupons to those
getting swabbed.
Like so many medical procedures, donating bone marrow has become
less invasive than in the past when morrow was taken surgically from
a donor.
"Now, it requires two shots and drawing blood for a couple of hours.
It's easier and not much of a big deal for the donor," said Day.
Helping a neighbor
Everyone in Belmont and surrounding towns can potentially become
someone's hero, including Deborah Margosian Chapman's.
A physical therapist, Margosian Chapman was active and healthy until
just a few months ago when began feeling drained and out-of-sorts.
Anticipating Lyme disease, the life-altering diagnosis for the wife and
mother of two was Acute Myeloid Leukemia, an aggressive blood cancer.
Debbi's best chance fighting the disease is finding a marrow match.
But from the start, Margosian Chapman's odds were reduced: none of
her siblings were suitable and she is of Armenian heritage that limits
the number of possible donors.
"It's important that we get people with an Armenian background out
on Saturday," said Day.
While the Be The Match event is open to all donors, the Margosian
Chapman family is urging members of the Armenian community, 18 to 60,
to come and get tested; this age limit is higher than the Armenian
Bone Marrow Registry, which cuts off potential donors at 50 years.
"I just felt compelled to give back because I had a relatively easy
time, at least in terms of finding a donor," she said. "Debbi has
gone through way more chemotherapy then me."
"If I could do anything to help Debbi find a donor, I would be so
honored," said Day.
Volunteers are also needed on the 29th to help register donors
and pass out fliers. If you can help, please contact Day at
[email protected] or Tracy Julian at [email protected].
While there is no cost to become a bone marrow donor, funds ~V it takes
$100 to process each sample, said Day ~V raised will add more potential
donors to the Be The Match Registry, the largest and most diverse
registry of potential marrow donors and cord blood units in the world.
Go to the website to make a contribution.
http://belmont.patch.com/articles/being-a-matchmaker-finding-a-bone-marrow
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress
By Franklin Tucker
Patch.com (Belmont)
Oct 28 2011
After finding her own donor, Marina Day is organizing Saturday's
drive to find one for Debbi Chapman.
Marina Day has an easy laugh that ends many of her sentences. Her
stylish, short-cropped, earth-color hair is in character with her
lyrical nature; a bright and easy approach to life.
The 22-year-old Bard College undergrad from Pine Lake, outside of
Atlanta, is currently living in Belmont with her mother and boyfriend
but is eager to return to Annandale-on-Hudson, New York for her senior
year, to return to performing the classical violin and creating her
own brand of "catchy pop-ish, unusual melodic music."
But first, Marina has to finally beat back this thing called cancer.
In August 2010, she was diagnosed with chronic myeloid leukemia that
was treated with inhibitors. But after going into remission October,
the cancer mutated into a more severe form requiring Day to undergo
six rounds of chemotherapy in New York.
But in April of this year, Day was in Boston's Dana Farber Cancer
Institute receiving a bone marrow transplant, as best as she can guess,
from a teenage donor probably 4,000 miles away in Europe.
And despite a set back here and there, Day said her final treatment
was two weeks ago.
Day is an example of how someone can revive hope in a person
half-a-world away.
"I'm so grateful for this girl who was a perfect match, in perfect
health. I want someone to have the same experience," said Day, who
is helping a Belmont woman undergoing her own journey securing a donor.
Tomorrow, Saturday, Oct. 29, from noon to 4 p.m., in the Belmont
Center office of Light Touch Chiropractic upstairs at 66 Leonard St.
with a quick swab of your cheek, participants older than 18 will be
entered into the Be The Match Morrow Registry operated by the National
Marrow Donor Program.
"It's a breeze. I mean, it involves a Q-tip. It can't be that
complicated," said Day, with that laugh, adding that Belmont Center
businesses are making donations and providing coupons to those
getting swabbed.
Like so many medical procedures, donating bone marrow has become
less invasive than in the past when morrow was taken surgically from
a donor.
"Now, it requires two shots and drawing blood for a couple of hours.
It's easier and not much of a big deal for the donor," said Day.
Helping a neighbor
Everyone in Belmont and surrounding towns can potentially become
someone's hero, including Deborah Margosian Chapman's.
A physical therapist, Margosian Chapman was active and healthy until
just a few months ago when began feeling drained and out-of-sorts.
Anticipating Lyme disease, the life-altering diagnosis for the wife and
mother of two was Acute Myeloid Leukemia, an aggressive blood cancer.
Debbi's best chance fighting the disease is finding a marrow match.
But from the start, Margosian Chapman's odds were reduced: none of
her siblings were suitable and she is of Armenian heritage that limits
the number of possible donors.
"It's important that we get people with an Armenian background out
on Saturday," said Day.
While the Be The Match event is open to all donors, the Margosian
Chapman family is urging members of the Armenian community, 18 to 60,
to come and get tested; this age limit is higher than the Armenian
Bone Marrow Registry, which cuts off potential donors at 50 years.
"I just felt compelled to give back because I had a relatively easy
time, at least in terms of finding a donor," she said. "Debbi has
gone through way more chemotherapy then me."
"If I could do anything to help Debbi find a donor, I would be so
honored," said Day.
Volunteers are also needed on the 29th to help register donors
and pass out fliers. If you can help, please contact Day at
[email protected] or Tracy Julian at [email protected].
While there is no cost to become a bone marrow donor, funds ~V it takes
$100 to process each sample, said Day ~V raised will add more potential
donors to the Be The Match Registry, the largest and most diverse
registry of potential marrow donors and cord blood units in the world.
Go to the website to make a contribution.
http://belmont.patch.com/articles/being-a-matchmaker-finding-a-bone-marrow
From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress