Please register to be a bone marrow donor (Istanbul)

Dear All,

No, this is no spam.

This is about the little boy of two good friends of my husband and me. We got to know them while working in China, they now live in the US.

4 year old Devan has been battling leukemia for nearly 3 years now. He just relapsed with a high-risk type of leukemia (APL) and he now urgently needs a bone-marrow transplant - but so far there is no match for him in the database. Devan's doctors say he has a 1 in 200,000 chance of finding a match which is worse odds than most people because he is 1/4 South Indian and 3/4 Northern European.

Please take the time to read about Devan and the donor drive here and spread the news: Protected content

It doesn't take much to get registered with your national donor registry, just a saliva swab and you might save him. If you are matched to save a life, donation is very easy and painless these days - similar to donating blood.

I contacted four hospitals in Istanbul already as I am trying to organise a marrow drive for Devan here. Unfortunately it seems to be extremely difficult and expensive in Turkey. So please please copy and forward this mail to friends of yours who you think might participate, especially individuals who are of mixed South-Asian/European ancestry, like Devan.

Adding as many donors to the global databases will help Dev and many others clinging to life right now. - This can happen to anyone at any age and god forbid you should get into a similar situation. Then you or a loved one would depend on this registry.

Thank you!

Gundula

WHERE TO REGISTER

=> In the US go to Be The Match Bone Marrow Registry, Protected content (you need to be 60 or under)

=> In the UK go to the Anthony Nolan Trust, Protected content (you’ll need to be 40 or under) there is no cost or charge for you.

=> In Germany go to Protected content They will send you a cheek swab kit - it's that easy!

=> In other countries go to Bone Marrow Donors Worldwide, Protected content

Finally, if you’re pregnant, your cord blood is particularly valuable for helping children like Devan – please look here to learn more: Protected content