The Jericho School District held a bone marrow drive on Thursday, January 17 to help find a match for Lisa Gershowitz Flynn. The drive was held in order to recruit marrow donors for the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) in an effort to help save Lisa's life. Lisa Gershowitz Flynn is a 1984 graduate of Jericho High School. Her mother Nanette Gershowitz is a well-respected and beloved educator who retired after many years supporting Jericho students and their parents. The district coordinated the drive with Marnie Naiburg-Smith, a community resident who is Lisa's cousin.

Lisa, who has two young children Michael and Alexandra, was recently diagnosed with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia (AML). Once diagnosed, she was immediately hospitalized and received six weeks of intensive chemotherapy. Unfortunately the treatments have not put her into full remission, and it is now critical for her to have a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. Finding a donor match is her only chance. Lisa's heritage is Eastern European- Ashkenazi, and she has a very good chance to match to someone from the same ethnic background.

Anyone who was unable to attend the bone marrow drive can still get involved and help! Please visit http://www.dkmsamericas.org/donors/eligibility.html to check eligibility criteria. If you determine that you are eligible to register as a donor for the national registry, please send an immediate email to info@dkmsamericas.org or call toll free (866) 340 - DKMS to request a registration kit to be sent to you by mail in honor of Lisa. Please keep in mind that it costs DKMS $65 to type each donor. Donations in any amount are greatly appreciated but not mandatory.

A donor will only be asked to donate if they match a patient. There are two ways a donation can take place if a donor is found to be a match. 80 percent of the time, the cells needed for the transplant are collected via the blood stream (PBSC). The donor gives blood through one arm, the needed cells are filtered by an aphaeresis machine and then the blood is returned through the other arm. 20% of the time the cells are collected directly from the marrow of the bone. The donor is given anesthesia for comfort and a needle extracts the cells from the back of the pelvic bone. Both procedures are outpatient.

DKMS was founded in 1991 by Peter Harf and Professor Dr. Gerhard Ehninger, after Peter lost his wife, Mechtild, to acute leukemia. Since its inception, DKMS has recruited over 1.6 million donors, making it the world's largest marrow donor center.

In 2005, Peter, together with his daughter, Katharina, furthered DKMS' mission, establishing an office in New York City. DKMS Americas is a 501 (c)(3) non-profit organization. All donors recruited by DKMS and DKMS Americas will be placed on the National Registry (NMDP). Worldwide, DKMS' tireless efforts and unending commitment to its cause have helped facilitate nearly 12,000 transplants.

For further information, please contact Mary Marks at 203-3600, ext 3202 or mmarks@jerichoschools.org