NJ man seeks stem cell donor - The Jewish Standard

Passing along an e-mail I received today. If you can help, please do.

Jewish Stem Cell Donor Urgently Sought for Young NJ Man Battling Aggressive Non-Hodgkin Lymphoma

East Brunswick, NJ ““ The race is on to find a compatible blood stem cell donor for 32 year old Mitchell Brown (www.helpmitchell.com), an athlete, loving young father, and lifetime resident of East Brunswick, NJ who was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) back in April 2009, just two months before the birth of his second child. Brown has a form of NHL known as diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and is among the 10 percent of people whose bodies unfortunately do not respond to the chemotherapy treatment designed to combat this cancer. To increase his odds of survival the Brown family is requesting as many people, particularly those of Jewish ancestry, donate blood stem cells to be transplanted into Mitchell within the next few weeks.

Brown is currently undergoing intensive chemotherapy at Hackensack University Medical Center, in Hackensack, NJ. So far his entire family has been tested however no matches have been identified.

“Time is of the essence and we hope as many potential donors can go through the same painless test procedure we have all gone through to help Mitchell,” said Brown’s brother, Ross Brown. “Being a donor today is a lot less invasive than in the past and is as easy as donating blood.”

The Browns are urging anyone willing to donate blood stem cells to contact LabCorp at 1-800-533-1037 for a testing kit to help determine a donor who’s DNA best matches his own. Those calling should ask for Sharon, Tanya, or David and tell them they would like to be tested as a potential donor for Mitchell Brown. LabCorp will then send a testing kit with directions in which donors simply swab the inside of their cheeks before sending the swabs back. The materials are provided at no charge and can be sent overnight with pre-paid return envelopes. To help defray the cost associated with the test, LabCorp assesses a $150 fee upon receipt of the test.

To further benefit the Brown family, various fundraisers have been set up such as the East Brunswick Soccer Club’s Labor Day tournament September 4-6 and October 10th “Swinging for the Browns” golf outing at the Old Orchard Country Club in Eatontown, NJ, with all proceeds going to their fight. More information can be found at www.helpmitchell.com.

“Our family is extremely appreciative and grateful for the outpouring of support and donations we have already received,” said Brown’s wife Jill.

Background:

Potential donors would need to come to Hackensack University Medical Center or your local hospital to take a few routine preliminary tests such as an EKG, chest scan, etc. Once confirmed that you are healthy enough, the transplant involves a shot called NeupogenÂ®, which is designed to quickly increase the number of white blood cells in your body. The NeupogenÂ® sends a message to your bone marrow to start producing more white blood cells, which in turn increases the number of stem cells floating through your blood. Shortly after the NeupogenÂ® is administered; you will be required to donate blood for a few hours a day over a two day period.

Please note that as a donor, all post LabCorp medical costs incurred in connection with the donation (preliminary tests, the NeupogenÂ® shot, the blood donation, etc) will be covered under Mitchell Brown’s medical insurance as the recipient and there will be no additional costs to you.

The Big Lipowsky

comments