DKMS, Whole Foods And The Deerfield Community Band Together To Help Save Chicago Father In Need Of A Bone Marrow Transplant

Main Category: Lymphoma / Leukemia / Myeloma
Also Included In: Transplants / Organ Donations;  Cancer / Oncology
Article Date: 07 Oct 2008 - 4:00 PDT

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Come to the Bone Marrow Donor Drive and Become a Life-Saver

DKMS, Whole Foods and the Deerfield community are joining forces to help save the life of Jon Simon, a Deerfield resident of 30 years, whose only chance of survival is a bone marrow transplant.  So far, no matches have been found.

Jon, a devoted husband and father, has been fighting Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma (NHL), a type of blood cancer, for more than one year. NHL is the fifth most common cancer in the United States, with about 56,000 cases diagnosed each year.

Known to his friends and family as the "Energizer Bunny," for his energetic personality and his incredible optimism, he just keeps on going and going and going.

"Currently, 30% of patients find a matching donor within their family, the other 70% depend on you," said Katharina Harf, EVP, DKMS. "Registering as a bone marrow donor is simple and painless, and the donation process is safe. By signing up you could be Jon's or another patient's life-saver."

"My father's incredible spirit and determination to beat this disease has made it easier for his friends and family to endure this journey with him. He is very driven and tells all of us he has at least another 35 years to go," said Sharon Simon, his daughter.  "This is a numbers game for all 10,000 people awaiting bone marrow transplants. It is time to get awareness out there of how simple it is to pay it forward and save a life."

The bone marrow donor drive will take place from 10:00 am to 3:00 pm on Sunday, October 12th at Whole Foods Market - Deerfield, located at 760 Waukegan Road. 100% of money raised will go towards the registration of each bone marrow donor who is recruited.

To understand your commitment and to check if you are eligible to register as a potential life-saver, click here.

About DKMS

DKMS is the world's largest bone marrow donor center with over 1.7 million registered donors. Since its founding in Germany in 1991, DKMS has facilitated more than 14,000 transplants.

The mission of DKMS is to give every blood cancer patient a second chance at life by recruiting marrow donors from every race and ethnicity. We inspire hope and healing by matching our donors with patients around the world in need of a marrow transplant.

DKMS