As the weeks go by, what we realize is that the Appeal for South Asian Donors is all about outreach. The more we reach out to all sorts of communities, the more interconnected we become.
We've met Ishtiaque who is campaigning to help his father, Haider Choudhury, a hard-working electrical engineer who came to Canada with his family only 8 years ago and has become incapacitated with a bone marrow disorder called myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS).
Then there is Patrick Tam who lives in Hong Kong, but also works on the SaveCarolyn.com campaign. Carolyn is his sister and is just down the hall from Dr. Guha at the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto. He tells us the need for Chinese donors is immense.
We've also met Tamu Townsend, well, we met her on Facebook, another dynamic advocate for bringing more minorities onto the OneMatch Bone Marrow and Stem Cell Network. Actually, she is not dynamic, she is a dynamo! Tamu just announced that her brother Emru's transplant, which took place two weeks ago, was successful. Congratulations to the whole Townsend clan and all their supporters!
And of course, Soumo and Prateek got involved to help our friend, mentor, and colleague, Dr. Abhijit Guha, who was recently diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia (AML). Dr. Guha is an accomplished neurosurgeon and research scientist, dedicated father and husband, and untiring philanthropist in the South Asian community both here in Toronto and internationally. He has helped build a non-profit hospital in Calcutta/Kolkata, where he frequently visits to donate his time and skills.
We've also been talking to SAMAR, the South Asian Marrow Association of Recruiters in the US and we've learned a lot from Tim Datta, whose did an amazing job increasing registrants with the MatchPia campagin.
All of us are working to make a difference. Please help us spread the word.
We were pleased to welcome The Honourable Bob Rae and his wife, Arlene Perly Rae, to our booth at the Raas-Garba (left). Mr. Rae, former NDP premiere of Ontario and current incumbent Liberal MP for the federal riding of Toronto Centre, was a bone marrow donor in 1989 for his younger brother, David, who sadly passed away from leukemia. Thank you, Mr. and Mrs. Rae, for recognizing the value of our efforts, and best of luck in the election tomorrow.
In a second photo (right), showing Mr. Rae enjoying some quality time with Mr. Rick Mercer at a lake in Ontario cottage country, note that the puncture sites from his marrow donation procedure have long-since healed over...
Sunday, October 19, 11 am - 6 pm
Tuesday, October 28, 7:30 - 11:00 pm
Since last Sunday, we estimate close to 150-200 swabbers registered as a result of the event. Asides from those who came out in force, there were many who could not make it but have since come on board.
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