Community-Wide Bone Marrow Drive for Towson Resident Scheduled
Baltimore, MD—December 28, 2012—There Goes My Hero Foundation (www.theregoesmyhero.org), a Maryland non-profit organization, is sponsoring a Bone Marrow Drive on Saturday to benefit Mary Jeanne Mullen Buck. “M.J.”, as Mary is called by many, lives in Towson with her husband and two daughters. A bone marrow transplant could be the key to Mary Jeanne’s recovery in her fight against blood cancer. By joining the National Bone Marrow Registry, you could be the one to provide a second chance for Mary Jeanne or one of the thousands of other patients in need.
“Match 4 M.J.”, the bone marrow drive, will take place on January 5th, 2013 at Towson Presbyterian Church in Thompson Hall, from 8:30 a.m. – 5:30 p.m. The Church is located at 400 W. Chesapeake Avenue, and there is plenty of free parking. The Bone Marrow Drive is free and open to the public. The “Match 4 M.J.” drive is also supported by DKMS Americas, the world’s largest bone marrow donor center.
When an individual is diagnosed with Leukemia or other blood cancers, a bone marrow transplant is a primary treatment and a key to recovery. Therefore it is crucial that a bone marrow match be found. The logical place to identify a match is with family members. When that match doesn’t exist, physicians will look to the Bone Marrow Registry to find a match from an international pool of donors.
More than 10,000 men, women, and children could benefit from a bone marrow transplant every year. Only 4 out of 10 patients are lucky enough to have a match and to receive a transplant. Registering to become a bone marrow donor is a simple cheek swab; it is painless and only takes a few minutes. Most importantly, it is an opportunity to help save the life of a patient in need. Donors must be between 18 and 55 and in good general health. If you are already in the Bone Marrow Registry there is no need to join again. You will remain in the registry until the age of 60. There Goes My Hero Foundation holds bone marrow drives throughout the year, to increase the possibility of finding matches for individuals stricken with Leukemia and other blood cancers.
M.J. is a devoted wife and mother of two daughters. She works In Human Resources at GBMC and in her spare time loves to travel and enjoys her book club. “M.J. is one of the kindest, most giving people I have ever known. If the tables were turned she would donate to save another person’s life without hesitation,” said Gale Della Santina, one of M.J.’s close friends.
About There Goes My Hero: There Goes My Hero Foundation is a Maryland-based 501-C3 non-profit organization. Our mission is to restore hope to Leukemia patients and their families by increasing bone marrow registrants, providing nutritious meals, and supporting blood cancer research. This year, every dollar donated is being matched by the Seraph Foundation. Find us on Twitter, Facebook or www.theregoesmyhero.org
About DKMS: The DKMS mission is to save lives by recruiting bone marrow donors for leukemia patients. DKMS Is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. For more information about DKMS and to learn more about registering as a bone marrow donor, please visit www.getswabbed.org.
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Terry Weigel
Executive Director
There Goes My Hero Foundation
410-299-1422
terry.weigel@theregoesmyhero.org
Gale Della Santina
Friend of M.J.
410-591-2659
gdellasantina@gmail.com