How to Save A Life by Joining Be The Match
As Black History Month comes to a close, I want to share with you how you can save a life by joining Be The Match. This is a cause (and story) very near and dear to my heart. I not only hope to raise awareness but also personally want to ask for your help. Please read on, take action, share this story to spread awareness and help save a life. Daisy’s life and many others like her are depending on you to survive!
Did you know that every three minutes someone is diagnosed with blood cancer?
Did you also know that 70% of patients needing a marrow transplant do not have a fully matched donor in their family?
Most heartbreaking is that the Black community is gravely affected!
This brings me to Daisy’s story and why I’m asking for your help. Daisy is my niece’s grandmother, my brother-in-laws mom. A beautiful person with an infectious smile, a loving grandmother to my 5 year-old niece, a strong woman and a fighter! Daisy is an incredibly sweet lady, someone whose strength I truly admire, and today I want to tell you her story. My hope is that you will be moved to take action and to spread awareness. Daisy is currently in the biggest fight for her life. The clock is ticking and she needs our help!
In 2015 Daisy was diagnosed with Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma and for 3 years fought hard to beat it. In 2018, when there wasn’t much hope left she took part in a clinical trial and received a Car T Cell transplant which was successful and put her in remission for almost 2 years.
Watch this video below to learn more about Daisy’s incredible story.
Sadly Daisy’s joy was again taken from her this year when she was diagnosed with an aggressive form of Leukemia. Anyone who knows Daisy, knows she’s the sweetest person and a determined fighter. She is strong and ready to beat cancer again! But she needs our help.
Unfortunately we have not been able to find a match for the bone marrow transplant she desperately needs. Her family is devastated by the news that none of her children, grandchildren, or other immediate family members have not proven to be a match. Now Daisy is counting on the kindness of strangers who can help.
Text “4DAISY” (all one word) to 61474
Please help by registering with Be The Match!
The sad reality is that 70% of the time Doctor’s look to the Be The Match Registry for a patient searching for a blood stem donor. Black/AFA patients only have a 23% chance, Hispanics 46% and White a 78% chance to find a match. As with many other unfair disparities in our current society, Blacks and other minorities are gravely affected since this is contributing to the loss of life of Black and brown people — grandma’s like Daisy who are fighting to live so they can experience the joys of watching their grandchildren grow. But all hope is not lost! You can help! We can all help! By taking just a few simple steps you can help bridge the gap and add more diversity to the registry so we can give an equal outcome to all patients, including Daisy.
Text “4DAISY” TO 61474 and help us find a match for Daisy!
It wasn’t until Daisy was faced with her latest battle for life that I learned about the grave disparity Black and brown patients face when needing a donor. This broke my heart! That’s why today I’m coming to you for help, but also to raise awareness.
It does not have to be this way! By registering as a donor on Be The Match you could be helping Daisy, or any other person currently fighting for their life and in desperate need of a donor. If you are a minority, I ask you to please consider registering and also pass the details on to others so that they may take action too! Think of the countless people (including little children) who may loose their battle with cancer while awaiting a match that never comes. By registering you could be someone’s hero!
Facts About Why & How You Can Help Save a Life By Joining Be The Match
- There are 14,000 patients per year whose only hope for a cure is a transplant from someone outside their family. These patients look to Be The Match to find a donor.
- Adding more members with diverse ethnic backgrounds to the registry increases the variety of tissue types available, helping more patients (especially in the Black community) find the match they need.
Keep in mind
- If you are between ages 18 and 44 a free cheek swab is mailed to you with a return label and only if you are a match (for Daisy or any other person awaiting a donor) will you be called to donate.
- Only 1 in 430 people that register are ever called to donate.
- By registering with Be The Match, you are not donating to a patient today. After registering (it only takes 5 minutes), you will receive a cheek swab kit via mail. The cheek swab is used to add your tissue to the registry.
- Be the Match keeps your contact information up-to-date so they can find you quickly if you are a possible match.
- You’ll be listed on the registry until you’re 61, unless you request to be removed from future searches.
- If you are called as a possible match, it’s important that you respond quickly, and are willing to give a blood sample for further match testing.
- Please share your decision to join the registry with family and friends now, so they’ll support you if you are called to be a donor. Also, you might inspire them to join the registry too and help to save a life!
If it is determined that you are a match, the donation process is simple and in most cases only requires you to donate blood.
By asking you to kindly register with Be the Match I hope that we can find a life-saving match for Daisy.
Cancer sucks! And the sad reality is that it can happen to any one of us. It could affect you, your children, and anyone you love. Now imagine knowing there’s a simple cure out there but not having access to it. Imagine feeling that you are racing against time to that cure that will save the life of someone you dearly love. Could you imagine what that’s like?
I know that our family would not be the same without Daisy, or mom-mom as my 5 year old little niece loving calls her grandma. I’m hopeful that with your kindness Daisy and others like here will find a match before it’s too late. We can do this together! We can save lives! Do it for Daisy and do it for the countless others also fighting this battle. You could be the match that saves a life!
If you are not a match for Daisy you may still be able to help someone else who is desperately awaiting this gift. Please, please, please, register and help save a life by joining Be The Match! It’s simple, free, fast and can potentially save a beautiful life!
I personally thank you kindly from the very bottom of my heart!
