News Release April 14, 2008

Contact:
Julie Scott

303.361.2873
Bonfils Blood Center

Bonfils’ Colorado Marrow Donor Program Supports Nationwide
Thanks Mom Marrow Drive May 5 - 19

DENVER (April 14, 2008) – Every day, more than 6,000 patients search the National Marrow Donor Registry for a life-saving donor. This May, Bonfils’ Colorado Marrow Donor Program offers hope to those patients by joining the National Marrow Donor Program’s (NMDP) largest awareness campaign of the year – the Thanks Mom Marrow Donor Drive.

Now in its third year, Thanks Mom hopes to recruit 46,000 new donors to the NMDP registry during the campaign. Colorado and Wyoming residents have five opportunities to support the national campaign. All drives are open to the public with no appointment necessary and registration is free. To register, potential donors will complete a health history and consent form and a small sample of cells will be collected, using a cheek swabbing technique, for initial testing.

Thanks Mom! Marrow Drives will be held:
Friday, May 9 from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Kiwanis Community House
4603 Lions Park Drive
Cheyenne, WY 82001
For more information contact Greta Morrow at 307.635.9343 or aemorrow@millect.com

Saturday, May 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Kaycee Town Hall
Main Street
Kaycee, WY 82639
For more information contact Jerrie at 307.738.2209 or jerrie.bennett@hughes.net

Saturday, May 10 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
Johnson County Fire Hall
314 Railroad Ave.
Buffalo, WY 82834
For more information call Donna at 307.684.7522

Tuesday, May 13 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
University of Colorado Hospital
13055 East 17th Avenue
Ben Nighthorse Campbell Building, 2nd Floor Conference Room
Aurora, CO 80045
For more information call 303.363.2345 or visit www.bonfils.org

Sunday, May 18 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Hebrew Educational Alliance
3600 S Ivanhoe St
Denver, CO 80237
For more information call .363.2342 or visit www.bonfils.org

People between the ages of 18 and 60 are urged to join the Registry at the Thanks Mom! drives. Each year, thousands of people in the United States are diagnosed with diseases for which a transplant could be a cure. Approximately 70 percent of patients are unable to find a donor match within their own 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.

The CMDP also seeks volunteers interested in coordinating ethnic-focused marrow registration drives. For more information about joining the Registry or coordinating a drive, please call 303.363.2345.

Bonfils Blood Center celebrates 65 years of saving lives through its ongoing stewardship of the community blood supply and the instrumental role it continues to play 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 more than 4,000 blood donations weekly to meet the needs of the community and to be prepared for any unexpected events. For information about Bonfils Blood Center please call 303.366.2000 or visit www.bonfils.org.