| July
6, 2005
Bone
marrow/stem cell donor drives to be held in Marquette and Ishpeming
Lake Superior Community Partnership, Bell Hospital Foundation,
MGHS and WLUC-TV 6 sponsoring drives
The Lake
Superior Community Partnership, the Bell Hospital Foundation,
Marquette General Health System and WLUC TV-6 are partnering in
an effort to increase the National
Bone Marrow Donor Registry and help Upper Peninsula patients
in their fight against cancer.
According to the Upper
Michigan Cancer Center at Marquette General, more than 200
cancer patients from the Upper Peninsula are potential candidates
for bone marrow transplants.
The first bone marrow/stem cell donor drive is scheduled from
10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Wednesday, July 27, at the Ishpeming Armory.
A second drive will be held from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Thursday,
July 28, in the St. Peter’s Cathedral Hall in Marquette.
Several area fund-raisers are planned to help cover the processing
fees for each $125 test. With between 300 and 500 donors expected
to be tested at a cost of $125 per test, the cost will run between
$37,000 and $62,000. To help defray the costs, the following fund-raisers
have been scheduled over the next several weeks:
· Wednesday, July 13 and Thursday, July 14:
Pasty Sale, First Presbyterian Church in Marquette. Pasties are
$4 apiece. To place an order, call 226-6591.
· Saturday, July 23: Spaghetti Dinner,
Elks Club, 4 to 7 p.m. Marquette. A silent auction and 50/50 raffle
will also be held at the dinner. The cost is $5.
· Sunday, July 24: Cudighi sandwich sale,
from 4 p.m. until ?. Eagles Club in Negaunee. Call 475-9584. A
silent auction, 50/50 raffle and entertainment will be provided.
Among the
patients who could benefit from the bone marrow/stem cell drives
is Mike Willard, 50, of Marquette. Just over a year ago, Willard
was diagnosed with Mantle Cell Lymphoma. A successful bone marrow/stem
cell transplant is his only hope for surviving the rare cancer.
Donation canisters have also been set up at a number of area businesses
and are being accepted at the Lake Superior Community Partnership,
501 South Front St., Marquette, MI 49855.
For more information on the drives, fund-raising events and volunteer
bone marrow drive opportunities, call Ron or Jeanine Willard (Mike’s
parents) at 228-6291, the LSCP at 226-9658, the Bell Hospital
Foundation at 485-2119 or the Upper Michigan Cancer Center at
225-3500.
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