i received this message from some progressive activist here in DC. If you can help save a life, take action and do it.

Dear friends:

A good friend of mine, Vinay, is in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant. His friends and family are conducting donor registration drives across the country, including one in Washington, DC on June 14th. All it takes is five minutes, a cheek swab, which will be tested to match Vinay's tissue, and some paperwork! No blood will be drawn. Please come to the drive and get registered—especially if you are of Asian and South Asian descent!



REGISTER AS A DONOR—HELP SAVE VINAY’S LIFE!



June 14th, 4:30 – 7:30 pm

Asian American Justice Center

1140 Connecticut Ave., NW, Suite 1200

RSVP (encouraged) or for more info: DCdonorDrive@aol.com

www.HelpVinay.org



ABOUT VINAY

When Vinay began experiencing severe exhaustion and bone pain last November, he attributed it to his grueling schedule as a medical resident. His symptoms turned out to be Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Since November, Vinay has undergone intensive chemotherapy, but last month, he received the difficult news that the chemotherapy was not effective. He now needs a bone marrow transplant to survive.



Vinay, a 28-year old orthopedics resident at Boston Medical Center, was just beginning a new phase of life when he was diagnosed. He and his wife Rashmi married in 2005, and the couple had just celebrated their first wedding anniversary.



ABOUT VINAY'S ILLNESS

More than 35,000 people suffering from life-threatening blood diseases such as leukemia are in need of bone marrow or blood cell transplants. While 30 percent of patients find a matched donor within their family, the other 70 percent must find an unrelated donor. Because tissue traits are inherited, patients are most likely to find a donor within their racial and ethnic community. However, less than seven percent, or about 415,000, of the six million donors in the registry are of Asian descent—and even fewer are of South Asian descent.



Even if you don't match with Vinay, you might be able to save the life of one of the other 35,000 patients waiting for a donor. To find out more about bone marrow or blood cell transplant process, please visit www.marrow.org.



HOW YOU CAN HELP

1. Register as a donor. If you're between 18 and 60, particularly of South Asian descent, please register right away by coming to a donor drive or online at www.marrow.org. Vinay's friends and family are conducting donor drives across the country—and in India as well. Visit www.helpvinay.org to find a drive near you.



2. Get others registered. Bring a friend, coworker or neighbor with you to a donor drive. The more people we register, the better Vinay's chances of finding a match.



3. Spread the word. There are drives all over the country, so forward this e-mail to everyone you know and ask them to register. Ask others to visit Vinay's website at www.helpvinay.org to help build awareness of the bone marrow registry. Don't forget to forward this e-mail to your friends and relatives in India as well!



THERE ARE MATCHES OUT THERE!

Pia faced Vinay's odds in 2004 when her leukemia returned, and her only chance of survival was a bone marrow transplant. Through her website, and the efforts of her friends and family, Pia helped register tens of thousands of new donors! She found a match for herself—but is continuing to recruit donors in India and around the world through the United South Asian Donor Registry (www.matchpia.org).



Together, let's find a match for Vinay! Please register with us on June 14th! E-mail DCdonordrive@aol.com for more information or to RSVP.



Sincerely,



Rachna Choudhry