You can save a life - Be the Match Bone Marrow Donor Program

Yesterday, I registered to become a bone marrow donor.  In the past, I wasn't educated enough about what this actually meant.  How do take my blood/marrow and how much of it? Is this safe for me as a donor? What are the risks or side effects associated?  My good friend, Vielka, is on a mission to collect at least 300 new registrants for the Be the Match National Bone Marrow Donor Program and to raise at least $2,000 for the cause.  She, like many other people, have had loved ones affected with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, sickle cell and other life-threatening diseases who need people like you to register as a potential donor and save a life.  

Help support Vielka's cause to saves lives through a donation if you are unable to register as a potential donor: http://www.bethematchfoundation.org/site/TR/TeamBeTheMatch/TeamBeTheMatch-FY10TeamRaiser?px=2237165&pg=personal&fr_id=1450 

Register to become a potential donor here: http://marrow.org/Join/Join_Now/Join_Now.aspx 

This wasn't the first time I was approached to register to be a bone marrow donor but it was first time I was given an educated run-down of what my registration meant.  Some key things I want to pass onto others:

• You can save a life.  In this case, YOU are the cure for cancer.  How fortunate are you to be healthy enough so that you can save the life of another?  If you were you in the other position, wouldn't you be so grateful that someone took the time to register in order to give the gift of life?  Forget the fear of needles and hospitals - there is a dire need - a calling - that rises above those considerations.  Express your gratitude for the life you have by giving life back to another. Tomorrow isn't promised for anyone.
  
• You can always say no if you change your mind about becoming a donor.  You don't know where you'll be in 5 or even 20 years from now where you might be more open to the idea of donating blood or bone marrow to save a life.  If or when that time comes and you're contacted,  you'll be educated in detail with the process and what your blood/marrow donation entails.
  
• Donating occurs in two ways:
• PBSC donation is a nonsurgical procedure that takes place at a blood center or outpatient hospital unit. For 5 days leading up to donation, you will be given injections of a drug called filgrastim to increase the number of blood-forming cells in your bloodstream. Your blood is then removed through a needle in one arm and passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells. The remaining blood is returned to you through the other arm. Your blood-forming cells are back to their normal levels within 4 to 6 weeks. To learn more, watch the PBSC donation video.
  
• Marrow donation is a surgical outpatient procedure that takes place at a hospital. You will receive anesthesia and feel no pain during the donation. Doctors use a needle to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of your pelvic bone. The marrow replaces itself completely within 4 to 6 weeks. To learn more, watch the marrow donation video.

And some facts to share with why it is so urgent that you register to get your cheeks swabbed for registration as soon as possible http://www.ij.org/bone-marrow-statistics:

• This year, more than 130,000 Americans will be diagnosed with a serious blood disease.
• Leukemia (a blood cancer) will strike 44,000 Americans this year, including 3,500 children.  It will kill about half of the adults and about 700 of the children.
• Leukemia is the most common childhood cancer.
• Only 30 percent of patients who need a bone marrow transplant have a matching donor in their families.
• The remaining 70% must hope that a compatible stranger can be found using the national registry.  
• At any given time, about 7,500 Americans are actively searching the national registry for an unrelated donor.
• Only 2 percent of population is on the national registry.
• A significant number of those on the national bone marrow registry cannot be located or will not donate when asked to do so.  The percentages of donors who are available and willing are:  65 for Caucasians; 47% for Hispanics; 44% for Asians; 34% for African-Americans.
• African-American patients find an unrelated donor 25% of the time.
• Asian patients find a donor about 40% of the time.
• Hispanic patients find a donor about 45% of the time.
• Caucasian patients find a donor about 75% of the time.
• Multi-racial people face the worst odds.
• At least 1,000 people die each year because they cannot find a matching donor.
• If an African-American finds a match on the registry, there is an 80 percent chance that the identified donor is the only match on the registry.
• Bone marrow donation requires less than 5% of marrow cells.
• 70 percent of marrow donations use peripheral blood stem cell apheresis.
• 30 percent of marrow donations use the traditional method of putting a needle in your hip.
• Donating bone marrow is safe:  More than 35,000 people have donated bone marrow to a stranger without a single donor death.

Results: $3,000 Grant for PanCAN!

Last night, I received a congratulatory call that Pancreatic Cancer Action Network (PanCAN) has been selected for a $3,000 small grant from QBE North America (my company)!!!  

Originally when I started my PanCAN team, I declared that I will raise at least $5,000 and have at least 50 runners/walkers on my team.  To date, I now have $6,607 in donations and 57 members on the team!  Including the $3,000 grant, I've raised a total of $9,607!!!  That's almost DOUBLE my original goal - HOLY GUACAMOLE! And I still have 4 weeks until the 4/20 race day!  

I never thought I would be able to pull in such support and power - EVER!  Of course, these things just didn't just "happen".  There is an energy,  perseverance and strategy that helped materialize these results.  Some things I've learned so far in my journey:

·         Start EARLY – With a goal so intimidating in the beginning, I tend to procrastinate because it seems so out of reach and impossible.  Whatever excuse you’re making to put off setting up that donation page or taking the first step for any project, just start the dive toward it.  Don’t feel prepared?  Nobody ever does but that’s where great discovery lies – in unknown territories that you’ve never been before.  This helps buffer against roadblocks that might occur along the way.  It took a total of 3 weeks to put together my grant application because I had a lot of holes to fill in and on the night I submitted the application, there was website error where I had to contact IT support in Australia to fix a bug in publishing my submission. 

·         Think Positively – No Matter What.  Oftentimes, I envision how it should look like and get caught up in how things can go wrong.  Imagine the rejection, imagine the “no’s” and apathy that I could receive from people.  By imaging failure, we set ourselves up to fail.  We seal our fate just by thinking negatively of a situation.  There WILL be no’s and apathy but for every 10 no’s we can get 1 yes!  And for that one person who gives me a “hell yes” – I just found another network who might give me 100 more yes’s.  Let the momentum start by saying “YES” to yourself. 

·         Share your cause/story – as much as possible.  Shout it out!  Squash that fear when that little voice tells you “who’s going to care”?  Broadcasting your story creates intentional and unintentional connection to your potential supporters.  What did I mean by unintentional?  I learned that people can connect to different parts of your story.  Someone can like the charity that I’m supporting because their uncle/father/friend also passed away from pancreatic cancer.  Another connected to how I’m stepping up to lead a running/walking team.  Another simply felt inspired by the amount of passion and energy I had for PanCAN.  I wear this charity on my sleeve and my heart on the other.
 

·         Remember you’re not a lone soldier. Asking for support was a huge hurdle since I grew up thinking I had to do everything by myself.  When people connect to your cause/story, they may want to support you by finding others who can also sympathize.  I had people coming out of the woodwork who wanted to support!  Friends from high school, my sorority, friends of friends who never talked to me yet we now have a common thread.  Don’t underestimate the power you actually hold to touch, move and inspire.

No longer a team of one.  For the 2013 picture, I will have my friends, family and a loving supporters who made a contribution to the cure for cancer.  This will be the legacy I leave for my father on his 20^th year memorial. 

Union Beach Family Fun Day

Today my leadership team created sexy results!  As Part I of our legacy project, we hosted a Family Fun Day to bring back the play in Union Beach, NJ.  Along with many towns along the Jersey shoreline, Union Beach was devastated by Hurricane Sandy and our ultimate goal is to rebuild the playground in Schuyler Park where we'll need $20-25k of funding for materials and equipment (Part II of our legacy project).  

With 3 weeks to raise money for the party once we had the date and location set, our team jumped in the middle and took the reins.  We divided ourselves into sub-committees: enrollment/volunteers, donations, publicity, entertainment, and food.  Our Old Skool Jam fundraiser in Ethos Meze raised $1,011 in funds to go towards the Union Beach restoration.  My press release reached the eyes of Madison, NJ and we received word that they wanted to help us in our endeavors!  The NJ Councilman came by and gave one of us his card to let him know about our plans for the playground!  We got a bouncy house, popcorn and cotton candy machines, face painting, arts and crafts, easter basket giveaways, a giant 4'x4' easter cake, 150 donated stuffed animals, an Easter bunny and free performances from Yosi's Children's Sing-a-long, zumba, a double dutch team and a great DJ.  Food came in abundance - enough to feed the volunteers too!  I was worried that we didn't have enough food so I bought my own sandwich.  ha!  

We declared to have at least 100 Union Beach residents commit to helping us build the playground when we raise the funds and set the time/date... we came out with having over 180 residents commit! We raised an additional $400 in raffle money where it will go towards the playground.  Results, results, results! Sexy, sexy, sexy! Families were so grateful and expressed their appreciation which was more than we could ask for.  It felt so humbling to just make this happen.  To pitch in.  To contribute.  This day wasn't about us, it was about giving back to the less fortunate.  Very proud of everyone committing to the cause, to the hope we are creating and to the possibilities we opened up. :)

Cake donated by the Cake Constructor

Karen and the Double Dutch team

Matthew - our enroller for volunteers!!! 180 sign-ups reached!

Seaport Diner Sponsors - Thank you for your generosity!

Give 100%, Expect 0% Back

Everybody was once an infant. Innocent and naive to the world. Full of hope and potential. Not yet harmed by any negative events in life. Think about children are able to go up strangers and smile, wave at you with no regard as to what people will think of them. It isn't until children start having negative events in their happen that they react to protect themselves. I tripped over my shoelaces walking in front of the class line in third grade and everyone laughed so I walked at the back of the line after that. Avoided attention wherever possible and remained quiet in class in fear of being laughed at again -- to avoid being embarrassed.  This was the first story that ran my life for the next 10 years.  What if I had treated everyday like it was a new day? Innocent and open to the world as if yesterday was irrelevant? I would embrace each day with new fearlessness. Unhardened by past mistakes, embarrassment, anger, pride, sadness, or hurt, I would give 100% and expect 0% in return.

Remember love
Remember you and me
Remember everything we shared
On this planet when we cared

Fast forward to adult life and our version of tripping over our shoelaces would be getting dumped or cheated on by a boyfriend/girlfriend, getting fired from a job, getting yelled at or mistreated by a friend, coworker or lover.  Who can honestly say that those events didn't affect them moving forward?  Learning from past mistakes doesn't mean that you close yourself off to new possibilities.  Ever gotten, "you're holding back on me!"?  Wouldn't you say that our capacity to give decreases from 100 to 90 to 60 to 30% in fear that "shit" would happen to us again?  Who else would want somebody who will only give you 50% of themselves? 30% of themselves?  Shit will happen regardless sometimes but imagine the pleasant surprises you're cheating yourself out of when you initially hold out on someone who is willing to give you their 100%? 

Remember loving neighbors without expecting favors
Why be afraid to make an honest mistake
If you acknowledge the pain
And you wanna change
You can get through anything

We should give our 100% to family, friends, and strangers included. Give the best of yourself to those around you and expect nothing back. Not having the expectation that the other person will give back creates an authenticity in your actions, words and intention.  That you just want to give back.  That you just want to love.  That you just want to make someone else happy.  How beautiful would life be if everyone was compassionate, giving, trusting and joyful?  While not every person would agree, that's irrelevant because it all starts with you.  I believe the positive energy is repaid back to you in one way or another.   

I had a dream
Beauty was only skin deep
And if we all just believe
Love is all we need
Nothing else can set you free 

I will leave you with Demi Lovato - Together ft. Jason Derulo that half-inspired this post.