Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry
3111 Los Feliz Avenue, #206, Los Angeles, CA 90039
Contact person: Dr. Frieda Jordan
Phone: (323) 663-3609
Email:abmdrla@abmdr.am

ABMDR reception kicks off tenth-anniversary events in U.S.
Supporters celebrate decade of community outreach
and pledge to help expand registry

Los Angeles, February 15, 2010 – On the evening of February 9 the
Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) kicked off its tenth-
anniversary celebrations in the United States with a reception held
at the landmark Phoenicia Restaurant in Glendale, California. The
event was attended by scores of supporters, volunteers,
representatives of community organizations, and guest of honor Krikor
Hovanessian, consul general of the Republic of Armenia in Los Angeles.

Prior to the event, an ABMDR delegation comprising Board members and
volunteers visited Archbishop Moushegh Mardirossian and Archbishop
Hovnan Derderian at the Western Prelacy and the Western Diocese,
respectively. Both Archbishop Mardirossian and Archbishop Derderian
conveyed their blessings to the ABMDR team, wishing it great success
in all of its forthcoming endeavors, including tenth-anniversary
events and donor recruitments. In addition, both archbishops stated
their continuous support in facilitating the ABMDR’s outreach and
recruitment efforts through Armenian churches across California and
the West Coast.

At the jubilant kickoff reception on February 9, speakers enumerated
the ABMDR’s many achievements in the past decade and underscored the
critical need for expanding the registry’s ranks of potential bone
marrow stem cell donors.

In her opening remarks, Nectar Kalajian, ABMDR Board member and
master of ceremonies, informed the attendees that the reception came
on the heels of a major concert and donor-recruitment event held in
Artsakh on January 8, marking both the actual birthday and tenth
anniversary of the ABMDR.

`I joined the ABMDR after a young friend of my son was diagnosed with
leukemia and I became familiar with the registry’s life-saving
mission,’ Kalajian said. `Tonight, as we celebrate a wonderful
milestone, our tenth anniversary, we also renew our commitment to
significantly increasing the registry’s reach in the United States,
Armenia, Artsakh, and elsewhere.’

`As part of our continuing effort to serve Armenians throughout the
globe, we need to increase awareness of the ABMDR’s work across all
segments of Armenian communities, and particularly among the young
generation,’ Kalajian continued. `We need people to be aware of the
fact that becoming a bone marrow donor is not only extremely easy,
painless, and noninvasive, but can also be a profoundly rewarding
experience, as it may well save somebody’s life. The ABMDR is a
nonpartisan, nonpolitical organization; our only agenda is to save
lives.’

Kalajian’s address was followed by the screening of a short
documentary on the achievements and objectives of the ABMDR.
Milestones highlighted in the film included the growth of the number
of registered bone marrow stem cell donors (who recently passed the
15,000 mark), the presence of the ABMDR in 11 countries, and the
opening of the registry’s Stem Cell Harvesting Center in Yerevan last
year.

The only one of its kind in the Caucasus region, the center features
a state-of-the-art tissue-typing laboratory, and can store and
harvest stem cells provided by healthy bone marrow donors. The stem
cells subsequently can be utilized in transplants for patients
suffering from life-threatening blood-related diseases such as
leukemia and other cancers.

Next to take the podium was Consul General Krikor Hovanessian, who
congratulated the ABMDR on its tenth anniversary and reaffirmed the
Armenian government’s support of the registry’s mission. `While there
might be quite a few things that divide us as a nation, especially
lately, the ABMDR is a cause that decidedly unites every one of us,’
the consul general said. `I’ll be honored to be a soldier in that
cause and help generate support to ensure its continued development.’

Hovanessian’s remarks about galvanizing the worldwide Armenian
community were echoed by Dr. Frieda Jordan, president of the ABMDR
Board of Directors.

As she addressed the attendees, Dr. Jordan thanked the consul general
for the solidarity of the Armenian government and announced that she
and her colleagues have been invited to recruit the entire staff of
the Armenian Consulate as potential bone marrow donors. `Given its
life-saving mission, the ABMDR draws Armenians from all walks of life
and convictions, inspiring them to work together toward a higher
good,’ she said.

Dr. Jordan also spoke of the registry’s vigorous efforts to involve
the Armenian grass roots in its donor-recruitment and awareness-
raising activities. `We appeal to all Armenian schools,
organizations, and churches to open their doors to the work of the
ABMDR,’ she said. `The more the registry grows, the greater our
ability of saving lives will be. It’s as simple as that.’

Dr. Jordan concluded her remarks by thanking Ara Kalfayan, owner of
Phoenicia Restaurant, for hosting the reception and his continued
support of the ABMDR.

Throughout the reception, the ABMDR received commendations from
individual and institutional supporters alike. Among them was Arpi
Kestenian, director of Physician/Managed Care Engagement at Glendale
Memorial Hospital. `It is so wonderful to celebrate the tenth
anniversary of the ABMDR,’ Kestenian said. `Glendale Memorial
Hospital is extremely proud to have helped support the registry’s
recruitment and major fundraising events in the past ten years.
Today, as the ABMDR is very much poised to expand its donor ranks and
community outreach, we look forward to helping it reach its goals
through continued and even stronger and more productive collaboration.’

The evening’s last speaker was Carlo Manjikian, a young Los Angeles
leukemia patient who underwent a life-saving stem cell
transplantation when his sister was identified as a bone marrow match.

`I was extremely lucky,’ Manjikian said. `But so many Armenian
patients suffering from life-threatening blood-related diseases are
out of luck because they don’t have donor matches. This is why it’s
so vitally important to expand the ranks of the ABMDR. I’m a living
example of the effectiveness of bone marrow transplants, which are
vastly facilitated through the existence of registries such as the
Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry.’

The ABMDR has planned a series of tenth-anniversary events that will
be held throughout 2010. These events – which include a three-day
cruise, a wine-tasting reception, a walkathon, a Christmas boutique/
luncheon, and a comedy night – will seek to both recruit bone marrow
donors and garner support for a number of ongoing registry
objectives. According to Dr. Jordan, these comprise the establishment
of a dedicated stem cell transplantation center in Armenia, continued
donor recruitments in the United States, Armenia, Artsakh, and
elsewhere, and the creation of support groups in Australia, Egypt,
France, Latin America, and Russia.

About the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry: Established in 1999,
the ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians worldwide
survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and
matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants.

To date, the registry has recruited over 15,000 donors across three
continents, identified 1,305 patients, found 1,033 potential matches,
and facilitated nine bone marrow transplants.

For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit abmdr.am.

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