Neighbor Liam points to news of a young man who needs help finding a bone marrow match. Amit Gupta, who founded the photography site Photojojo, was diganosed with Acute Leukemia and will need a bone marrow transplant, but minorities are underrepresented in the donation pool--the chances of someone from South Asian descent of finding a match are only 1 in 20,000.
Since we live in a community with a large South Asian population (they're looking for people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, or Sri Lanka), it's worth asking that if you are, you consider helping out.
There is a mail-order cheek swab test, and there is an event in Manhattan on October 14 where there will be test kits, in addition to music and drinks:
If you’re a match, the donation involves an outpatient procedure. It’s not fun, but it’s not dangerous either. And doing it could save a life.
More information is available at Amit's blog.
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