PLEASE HELP: Attend Bone Marrow Donor Drives (New York)

The son of a fellow Internations members was recently diagnosed with cancer. See: Protected content and Protected content . com/watch? v=vHqsUx07n8w and Protected content

Kai has a rare form of leukemia called Philadelphia Chromosome-Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Kai will be five years old in May. Just days ago Kai had symptoms that his parents thought might be the flu, or even just a cold. Now he is in the hospital, diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia (Philadelphia Chromosome-Positive Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia), being treated with a cocktail of seven chemotherapy drugs. Only, for this acute, high-risk form of leukemia, chemo is rarely enough. Kai's best hope lies in a bone marrow transplant.

That's where you come in.

The Anderson family absolutely need your prayers, kind words, and generous donations for the enormous medical costs ahead (at Protected content . More than you can know. You see, last year, Kai's dad and special buddy, David, was diagnosed with a type of cancer (also rare and complicated) called Mantle Cell Lymphoma. That's right. Two cancers in one small family. Kai's parents are operating day-to-day with unimaginable levels of stress and heartbreak.

WHAT CAN YOU DO TO HELP? ATTEND THE "HOPE FOR KAI - BONE MARROW DRIVE" HERE IN NEW YORK OR REGISTER DIRECTLY WITH DKMS ( Protected content

For more information visit: Protected content or call: Protected content

Thank you in advance, Yvonne

---------- Protected content background on bone marrow donations --------- Protected content
Bone marrow transplant is probably very different from what it was the last time you heard about it. Getting tested for compatibility takes only seconds. Dab a swab on the inside of your cheek and register with the national bone-marrow registry. If the marrow is a match, donors are asked to undergo one of two minor, non-invasive outpatient procedures that extract some of your healthy stem cells to replace a patient's unhealthy cells. It is that simple to give someone a second chance at life.

Astonishingly, despite these advancements, every year thousands of patients in desperate need of bone marrow transplants go without, due to a lack of available compatible matches. Less than 20% ever get the transplant that may be their last chance for survival. The technology is there; it's the donors who are not. That's not only shameful, it's short-sighted. Because this is something that can happen to any of us, to any of our children.

If you can't attend the bone marrow drive above, please visit Protected content for a free kit you can use at home. Then help spread the word by forwarding this e-mail to everyone who may be able to help.