York Town News
Today: help York family's search for lifesaving bone marrow match
By Jennifer L. Saunders
YORK VILLAGE - Today, Wednesday, Jan. 10, you have a chance to make a lifesaving difference for York High School senior Jason Durkin or, perhaps, for someone you will never know.Through the efforts of York Kiwanis, Dana Farber Cancer Institute will host a bone marrow drive today from 4 to 8 p.m. at the First Parish Church in York Village in honor of Jason, who was recently diagnosed with aplastic anemia. Being tested is simple, requiring only a mouth swab.
Aplastic anemia is a condition where the body ceases to produce enough new blood cells. According to information provided by Dana Farber, aplastic anemia "occurs when the bone marrow produces too few of all types of blood cells: red cells, white cells, and platelets. A reduced number of red blood cells causes the hemoglobin (a type of protein in the red blood cells that carries oxygen to the tissues of the body) to drop. A reduced number of white blood cells cause the patient to be susceptible to infection. A reduced number of platelets can cause the blood not to clot as easily as normal."
Dana Farber lists a bone marrow transplant as the only cure for aplastic anemia. As is the case with about 70 percent of those in need of a bone marrow transplant, there is no match for Jason within his family, and the search must be broadened to find an appropriate donor.
Enter York Kiwanis, helped organize today's event in an effort to assist Jason and others. But, as Dan Ramus of York Kiwanis explained, it is the York community as a whole that is coming together in this search for a lifesaving marrow donor for Jason.
"It has just taken right off," Ramus said of the continually growing support for the effort, adding, "It's a great community that's ready to respond to a need."
As he and Jason's father, Mike Durkin, are close friends, Ramus said he wanted to find a way to help, and as Kiwanis's motto states, this service organization believes in "Children: Priority One."
"We raise funds and awareness all year long, primarily for children's needs," he explained of Kiwanis.
York Rotary, York High School, York Hospital and others have joined with Kiwanis in support of the event, Ramus said, making it possible to offer registration for the tests free-of-charge, though those who are able to are encouraged to donate to assist with the ongoing costs of research in this field.
And, Ramus noted, "It doesn't stop Wednesday. York Hospital has agreed to administer this marrow drive afterwards. We don't have it perfect yet, but if somebody wanted to register after Wednesday, there will be somebody at the hospital with swab kits who can talk to them, answer their medical questions, administer the swab and get it off to the lab."
Whether Jason will find his perfect donor match right here in York remains to be seen, Ramus said, adding, "It has happened … and hopefully it does happen in this case, but the bottom line is the database needs potential donors by the millions. Some people are a 10 million to 1 chance of finding somebody, and some people's chances are much better."
According Dana Farber, more than 25,000 individuals across the nation are diagnosed with leukemias, anemias, myelodysplastic disorders and other life-threatening diseases that require treatment with a marrow transplant from a healthy, matching donor in each year.
"Finding a compatible donor is always a challenge, and certain tissue traits of the donor and the patient must match," noted Dr. Robert Soiffer, M.D., chief of Hematologic Malignancies at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, in the announcement of today's drive.
While joining the national registry is a simple process that requires only a mouth swab, event organizers pointed out that becoming a volunteer donor is a serious commitment, as those who join the registry are asked to remain committed to donating for any patient, anywhere in the world, regardless of the patient's sex, age, race or ethnicity. While there is a need for donors of all races, the need for minority donors is especially urgent.
It costs $52 to complete the Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) tissue-typing test, according to Dana Farber, but many health insurance plans in New England will cover the cost of this testing. York Kiwanis and Dana Farber have urged potential donors to contact their insurance providers to determine whether they qualify for this coverage and, if so, to bring their insurance information. To find out more, call (866) 875-3324, e-mail nmdpdonor@dfci.harvard.edu or visit online at www.dana-farber.org/nmdp.
For his part, Ramus said York Kiwanis hopes to make this an annual event in York, with details to follow.
"We live in a great community," he said, adding York residents are known for supporting one another at times like this. "It's important that we all come out and do this. … It's the best thing that we can do for the family; the closer the match, the better the success rate."
