Silicon Valley Marrow Drive - APRIL 19th

My fellow Silicon Valley Friends! I am asking every viewer, every person living in Silicon Valley, everyone in the blogosphere....to help me spread the word about a Marrow Drive that we are co-hosting on April 19, 2008. We have pulled together corporate sponsors (THANK YOU 23ANDME), community sponsors (THANK YOU PAMP and the PAUSD) and have been mentioned in the newspapers (THANK YOU Palo Alto Daily News, Palo Alto Weekly), as well as some highly visible sites and blogs:  THANK YOU Leukemia and Lymphoma Society, Burbed.com, BusyBodyBook Blog, A Parent In Silvers Spring, Citymama, ModMom, Finding Bongamom, Filipina Moms , Pinoy Moms Network, Plain Jane Mom, Kimchi Mamas, Goodies For Mom, Myhamptons Mag, Zoosse, Adventures In Babywearing, Moody Mommy (PMDD Made Me Do It), The Daily Grind Of A Work @ Home Mom, Stimeyland, BlogHer (Mommy Bloggers Give Back), BlogHer (BlogHer Needs Your Help), The Silent I, Petroville, Cool Web Moms, The Mama Bird Diaries, PunditMom, Not Just A Working Mom,  Mom's Favorite Stuff, MamaLaw, To Think Is To Create, Go-Go Mommy,     ... (and if I am missing anyone, just leave a comment below and I will add your site/blog name to this post!)

• Why have I organized this event?  Click Here. Yes, this is personal. 
• Why are thousands of people in need of a marrow transplant?  Click Here.
• What happens if you are contacted as a possible match?  Click Here  Seriously, it is not as scary as it sounds....
• Can you make a difference and possibly save a life?  You bet.....

We are making an extra plea to get minority and/or multicultural communities and ethnicities out to this drive. The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) is in dire need of Asian, Hispanic, African American, Indian, South Asian/Pacific and American Indian donors.  With that said, ALL RACES and ethnicities are encouraged to come out to our drive! Please.... please help us spread the word.  Please show up on April 19th.  Please become a potential donor. 

There is no fee to become a donor (Thank you again 23andME.  This Silicon Valley Company is covering all expenses to get your matching into the database).  On April 19th, the National Marrow Donor Program will take a swab of saliva.  That is it.... (of course, if you were ever called as a potential match, more would be asked of you...)

Please.... support our drive.  Become a donor.  You can possibly save a life.

Respectfully,

Jill Asher, Co-Founder of Silicon Valley Moms Blog

• Date:  Saturday, April 19, 2008
• Location:  95 Crescent Drive, Palo Alto, California 94301
• Time:  9:00am to 3:30pm
• To be eligible to donate, you must be between the ages of 18 to 60

......More information about our generous, corporate sponsor: 
23andMe, Inc. is a privately-held personal genetics company dedicated to helping individuals understand their own genetic information through DNA analysis technologies and web-based interactive tools. The company's Personal Genome Service enables individuals to gain deeper insights into their ancestry and inherited traits. 23andMe, Inc., was founded by Linda Avey and Anne Wojcicki in 2006, and the company is advised by a group of renowned experts in the fields of human genetics, bioinformatics and computer science. Its Series A investors include Genentech, Inc., Google Inc. (NASDAQ: GOOG) and New Enterprise Associates. More information is available at www.23andMe.com

.

Comments

[Janice]

Jill.
Thank you for organizing this drive and sharing the story of your mom. I am an AML survivor. I believe I am alive today because I found an unrelated donor.

I will help spread the word!

Janice

[mod*mom]

yay jill!
you're going to help sooooo many people :)
i'm posting a reminder too!

[Hailey]

Hi, my name is Hailey and I'm 12 years old. My brother, Alexander passed away in 2006 from a heart defect and now I keep a blog in his memory to reach out to other kids and families and do acts of kindness in my brothers name.

I found your site and wanted to give you Alexanders award for having a site that spreads the message of hope and love.

I don't know how to do html so please visit my blog www.alexandersheart.blogspot.com and copy the award to put on your site.

Please give this award to 3-5 other blogs or sites you feel share the message of hope and love as well.

God bless, Hailey

[Hailey]

Hi, my name is Hailey and I'm 12 years old. My brother, Alexander passed away in 2006 from a heart defect and now I keep a blog in his memory to reach out to other kids and families and do acts of kindness in my brothers name.

I found your site and wanted to give you Alexanders award for having a site that spreads the message of hope and love.

I don't know how to do html so please visit my blog www.alexandersheart.blogspot.com and copy the award to put on your site.

Please give this award to 3-5 other blogs or sites you feel share the message of hope and love as well.

God bless, Hailey

[Greg Burton]

Hi Jill,
I just heard of your drive, and as a long-time donor - blood and platelets - I thought it would be great to get our readers and members to join your effort. I hope it's a big smash.

I also suggested on our blog that our readers, no matter where they are, find out where their local marrow donor program is, and to get themselves typed.

If you go to www.zoosse.com, you will see our Blog post, with all the information right there. (While you're there, please join!)

If there's anything more I can do for you, please don't hesitate to contact me.

And best of luck with your mom!

Greg Burton

[Jill Asher]

Greg.... thank you so much for your message and "shout out" on your site. I have added it to the post... so THANK YOU!!!

Jill Asher

[Adventures In Babywearing]

Jill, I wish you the best and know you'll have an awesome turn out!

Steph

[enoch choi]

This is going to be great! Don't worry, there'll be plenty of folks nearby...

[Jill Notkin]

I blogged about this at http://workathomemom.typepad.com/the_daily_grind_of_a_work/2008/04/silicon-valley.html. What a great cause!

[Kirsten]

Great idea, Jill. A friend of my sister-in-law passed away a couple of years ago waiting for a match. She was mixed race, Korean and Caucasian, and from what I understood, finding mixed race matches is incredibly difficult. I also noticed that the minimum age for donation is only 10. I know some of our children are that age... Might be worth considering.

[coolwebmoms volunteer]

Just saw this, We'll get this up on our site right away. - coolwebmoms

[PunditMom]

Just posted at my place. Good luck!

[Nicole/wksocmom]

I posted, and am getting some great responses from my school yahoo group.
http://notjustaworkingmom.blogspot.com/2008/04/bossy-and-bone-marrow.html

[jodi]

We just posted about it also.

[To Think Is To Create]

I posted about it today...

http://tinyurl.com/5wu8sp

[JB/Go-Go Mommy]

Here's my post from a few weeks ago:
http://gogoma.typepad.com/go_go_mommy/2008/03/psa-bone-marrow.html

Great job putting all of this together!

[Alix]

Good luck Jill! I can't be a donor if I were called but I just know there are lots of others who can and will be motivated by your positive energy. I have a step-sister-in-law who was diagnosed with CML leukemia and did not respond to Sprycell or the other standard "magic bullet." She is about 140 days post bone marrow transplant and she is doing great! Please everyone, give someone else the gift of life!

[Margie Boyce]

Jill,
It was a pleasure meeting you today. I cannot wait to hear the results of your drive. You should be so proud of yourself for organizing such a fabulous event. The more people that we get on the registry the more lives will be saved. On behalf of The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society I cannot thank you enough. I would love to meet with you and Michele in the next few weeks so please be in touch.

Thanks again, together we will find a cure.

Margie Boyce
The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society
(408)271-8315

[Lisa Stone]

Jill, thanks again for creating an opportunity for the rest of us to do what we can to help. For the record, it was easy and painless. Can't wait to hear how many donors you recruited!