Bone Marrow Drive at Beth Israel

On Sunday, April 30, a few days after the worldwide Jewish community commemorates Yom HaShoah, to honor the memory of those lives that were lost in the Holocaust, Congregation Beth Israel of Media will conduct a bone marrow donor drive at its location at 542 New South Middletown Road in Media. The testing will take place from 9 AM to 1 PM.

Volunteers are sought to take a simple mouth swab test to determine their suitability to donate cells to people with life-threatening illnesses. All volunteers in good health between ages 18 and 61 are welcome to participate.

The donor drive will be conducted by Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation, whose mission is to facilitate bone marrow, stem cell and umbilical cord blood transplants for children and adults suffering from illnesses such as leukemia, lymphoma and immune diseases. Since tissue-type is inherited, a patient's best chance of finding a genetic match lies with donors of similar ethnicity. Gift of Life strives to increase the representation of Jewish donors in the registry in order to overcome the devastating effects of the Holocaust, which severed bloodlines. All donors are listed on a world-wide registry as well.

There is no charge to the donor, but donations of $18 or more are welcomed -  to defray laboratory expenses. Contact Lynn Cashell at d.l.cashell@comcast.net or 610.543.6073