News Release September 12, 2006
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Forms Life-saving Partnership with Bonfils Blood Center
Bonfils offers free marrow donor registration at two Light The Night Walks this September
For more information contact:
Wendy Greenwald Julie Scott
The Solution PR Bonfils Blood Center
720.488.1116 303.361.2873
Wendy@thesolutionpr.com Julie_Scott@bonfils.org
DENVER (September 12, 2006) - Each year, thousands of people in the United States are diagnosed with blood-related diseases for which a blood stem cell or marrow transplant could be a cure. Both The Rocky Mountain Chapter of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society and Bonfils Blood Center and its Colorado Marrow Donor Program are committed to jointly supporting patients who suffer from blood-related diseases. This September, Bonfils will bolster the Society’s annual Light The Night Walk by allowing participants to join the National Marrow Donor Registry free of charge at two walks.
Those interested in joining the National Marrow Donor Registry are invited to participate in one of the two scheduled
Light The Night Walks:
The marrow donor registration process involves completing a health history and consent form and swabbing the inside of your cheek to collect a sample of cells for initial testing. Would-be donors should be in general good health and between the ages of 18 and 60. ““We are thrilled to have Bonfils partner with us to enable our walk participants to make a difference in the lives of patients in need,” says Leukemia & Lymphoma Society Executive Director, Rebecca Russell.
Bonfils’ Colorado Marrow Donor Program (CMDP) assists with the coordination of blood stem cell transplants and has facilitated 21 matches for patients already this year. Additionally, the CMDP is responsible for recruiting potential marrow donors to the national registry. Approximately 70 percent of patients are unable to find a donor match within their family. Ethnically diverse patients have the greatest difficulty finding a suitable unrelated donor; therefore, recruiting new and ethnically diverse donors is key to the ongoing success of the program. Currently, ethnically diverse donors comprise only 25 percent of the national registry.
About Light The Night Walk
The Light The Night Walk is The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s annual nationwide evening walk that celebrates and commemorates lives touched by cancer. Families, friends, company teams and civic groups raise funds and walk along a two-to-three mile route in their communities, carrying lighted balloons – white for survivors, red for supporters. More than a walk, Light The Night is a community celebration and coming-together, with food, music and family activities, providing help and hope for thousands of cancer patients and their families.
About The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
With 66 chapters in the United States and Canada The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society®, is the world’s largest voluntary health organization dedicated to funding blood cancer research and providing education and patient services. The Society’s mission: Cure leukemia, lymphoma, Hodgkin’s disease and myeloma, and improve the quality of life of patients and their families. For information about The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society visit www.lightthenight.org or call 303.984.2110.
About Bonfils Blood Center
For more than 60 years, Bonfils Blood Center has supported the community blood supply and has played an instrumental role in the lives of patients in need throughout Colorado and beyond. Bonfils Blood Center supplies blood to more than 200 healthcare facilities and needs to collect 4,350 blood donations weekly to meet the needs of the community and to be prepared for any unexpected events. For information about Bonfils and the Colorado Marrow Donor Program, please visit www.bonfils.org or call 303.341.4000
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