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Las Vegas Article - Windsor Star |
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Written by Rob Raymond
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Sunday, 06 April 2008 |
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From The WindsorStar.com
Raising awareness, of the bone marrow registry and the desperate need for donors, was the aim of a fundraising dinner Saturday by the Better World Today Association.
More than 400 people showed up to the event.
The Association's motto - Got Marrow? - urges people in every community to register on the donor list.
"It's all about awareness, really," said Frank Giles, president of the Better World Today Association.
Giles' brother Ron Giles, who is second vice-president of the association, was on the donor list for 10 years before being called as a match in 2003.
Ron later met the young man who received his bone marrow donation.
"Ever since then ... we've been trying to promote the bone marrow registry."
Association vice-president Chris Lo Duca and his family know first-hand how crucial receiving a transplant is. Lo Duca was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia and received a stem cell transplant from a donor in September 2005.
"Basically, when I got the transplant I was doing OK, but I felt obligated to give back," said Lo Duca.
"It really disrupts the family ... my wife moved to Hamilton basically for three months when I was in the hospital there," said Lo Duca. "We know that it's kind of a financial burden that it puts you in, so we want to help families."
Proceeds from Saturday's dinner are going to help fund the association's biggest event of the year.
The Camp 4 Compassion event, being held in July, offers families affected by various blood cancers the opportunity to camp out for the weekend and share their experiences. The general public is also invited to the events and encouraged to learn more about the diseases that depend on the bone marrow registry.
"This year we're going to have a helicopter out there, Essex County's biggest fashion show," and a Canadian Idol contestant, said Frank Giles. "It's going to be bigger than last year."
Last year several hundred people showed up for the Camp 4 Compassion, according to Giles.
"Basically, it's to get everyone together so they can hear about the registry," said Ron. |
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Last Updated ( Sunday, 06 April 2008 )
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