Norwalk, CT - Saint Mathew Church will be hosting a Bone Marrow Drive on Sunday March 21, 2010 from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. The Bone Marrow Drive is open to Men and Women between the ages of 18 and 61 who are in good health. St. Matthew Parish Nurse, Ellen Freebairn is in charge of the drive and she notes, “The process is very simple, it just takes a couple of minutes. You simply swab your inner cheeks in four different areas and our volunteer nurses will be on hand to provide assistance.” The drive is in conjunction with “Be A Hero, Become A Donor,” and all qualified participants will be placed on the national registry.
Parishioner Heather Ribellino is a proponent of the drive because she saw her mother-in-law benefit from a bone marrow transplant years ago. She said, “Although this drive is meant to find a match for one of our parishioners who has been diagnosed with Leukemia, this drive is really to create awareness about the need for bone marrow donation. We hope it provides new donors to fill the national registry to help others around the country.”
There is no cost for a potential donor to participate, but it does cost “Be A Hero, Become A Donor” about $100 per testing kit. Anyone who wants to help, but may be medically ineligible or uncomfortable with the testing process, can help defer the cost of the testing kits." Checks can be made payable to "Be A Hero, Become A Donor" and dropped off at the day of the drive at St. Matthew Church.
For more information about Bone Marrow Donations visit www.BeaHeroBecomeaDonor.org or www.BetheMatch.com
The public is welcome to participate in the Bone Marrow Drive. Stop by St. Matthew Church, 216 Scribner Ave., Norwalk between 8am and 2pm on Sunday March 21, 2010.
