Bone Marrow Donor Drive for Ken Williamson

On Saturday, July 16, you have a chance to do something really, really important for an Iselin family. You can be a hero.

Because on Saturday, July 16th, there is going to be a Bone Marrow Donor Drive for Ken Williamson. It will be held at the Iselin Fire House District 11, at 20 Auth Avenue in Iselin, where Ken's son is a volunteer fireman. The event will run from 10 to 3 PM.  The actual "donor" part of the drive starts at 12, but starting at 10, they will be selling baked goods, hot dogs, etc. - and everyone is welcome.

 

Ken, a resident of Iselin for the last 20 or 25 years or so, was recently diagnosed in the late stages of leukemia. He needs a bone marrow transplant, and is counting on finding a match through the Marrow Registry.

I spoke with Ken's daughter Krystina. She explained that the whole procedure for the donor drive is very simple; there is a quick, easy swab of the mouth, and a paper to be filled out - that's it. "We just want to find out if anyone will meet the criteria to be a donor for my Dad," she explained. "There are ten different things that have to match up.   We've got to find someone who is the closest match possible."

In addition to the donor test, there are also going to be raffles. "Each swab donor kit actually costs $100, but the donor registry - the HLA - doesn't charge anything," Krystina explained. They just ask that the family show good faith in trying to fundraise to offset the cost of the testing. The HLA's literature explains, "Because we are a non profit organization, we do encourage our sponsors to fundraise in conjunction with the marrow drive.  This donation would be used to cover the cost of testing for donors."  Of the fundraising, Krystina said, "we have gotten donations to help, and we will be having a raffle, to raffle off an Ipod Touch, TV and an IPAD 2!"

Ken is feeling..."OK"... Krystina told me. "He goes for this new kind of chemo, where he has a treatment for one week every four weeks." He isn't working right now, but he had been an electrician at JFK Hospital.

Please visit www.kickleukemiasbutt.com for more information and updates about the event. All proceeds will be going to Be the Match:  www.bethematch.com

"From the bottom of our hearts, we are eternally grateful."