(Sarasota, FL. August 24, 2018) People showed up early to donate this morning at the Sarasota Police Department held in honor of the daughter of one of the officers. The blood drive was held in gratitude for the recovery of Ava. Eligible people could also register for The Be The Match, which connects donors with people in need of a bone marrow transplant.
Four year old Avalynn has finished her chemotherapy for Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia and her parents Alyssa and Dustin are thankful for the staff and doctors at All Children’s Hospital, as well as the OneBlood platelet and blood donors that supported her battle against cancer. The drive was also held in conjunction with the Benjamin Gilkey Fund for Innovative Pediatric Cancer Research. $10 for each blood donation goes to the organization.
If you’re between 18 and 44 and meet the health guidelines, you may be able to join the ‘Be The Match Registry’ with simple cheek swabs gathering cells from inside your mouth that will be sent to a lab for tissue typing.
Every year, 12,000 patients with a blood cancer need a marrow or peripheral blood stem cell transplant to live. They have no matching donor in their family, so they look for a volunteer donor who shares their heritage to give them a second chance. For more information visit BeTheMatch.org or call 1-800- MARROW-2 (1-800-627-7692)
The Benjamin Gilkey Fund for Innovative Pediatric Cancer Research exists to fuel the passions of investigative physician researchers within the Johns Hopkins All Children’s Cancer and Blood Disorders Institute. It will make new options available in the face of unexpected obstacles and help to improve, prolong, and preserve the lives of children like Benjamin, who are unique, brave, and unbelievably strong.