Andy (DJ A-Dog) was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) on December 19, 2012. Because of his cytogenetics, he must have a bone marrow transplant in order to be cured, making it a life saving procedure for Andy. A global registry run by Be The Match connects patients with their donor match for a bone marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. I urge you all to please consider becoming part of the Be The Match donor database and spreading the word to everyone you know. Even if you aren't a match for Andy you could save someone elses life! (See link below)
Because of Andy's ethnicity (Filipino/African Amercian) he is facing some unique challenges in finding a match, as are other people who are of mixed race. Currenty, only 4% of registered donors are of mixed race, creating an urgent need for these donors. Markers used in finding a match are inherited which means patients are more likely to match someone from their own ancestry. Adding more donors from diverse racial and ethnic backgrounds to the Be The Match Registry increases the likelihood that all patients will find the match they need.
Registering is an easy & painless process of requesting a free cheek swab kit from Be The Match. You will then be in the global registry for patients that are in need, including Andy. About 1 in 540 people who join will become a bone marrow donor. With modern technology dontaing bone marrow is free, quick and easy.
Please follow this link to join the registry and give hope to people like Andy all over the world.
MARROW.ORG
No matter what your ethnicity or background please consider joining the bone marrow registry, the more people that join the better the chance that Andy will find a match and be cured! Please register and spread the word as quickly as possible - this is a time sensitive process.
Thanks for your continual support,
Josie (Andy's partner)
Please contact me with any questions at
LOVE 4 A.DOG
Or drop by
FriendsForADog to keep up on his situation and recovery.
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