CIVILITAS TO LAUNCH BLOOD DRIVE TOMORROW

2010/05 /13 | 17:38

society

The Civilitas Foundation, in collaboration with the Armenian Bone
Marrow Donor Registry, is hosting a ‘Be a Donor, Save a Life!’ drive
on Friday, May 14 from 5-7 pm at the Civilitas office in central
Yerevan. The turnout for the first drive, which was held last week,
was so impressive that it inspired the participants toâ~@ repeat the
event this Friday.

"There are so many people whose life depends on finding a matching bone
marrow donor and so few people know about it," said Gayane Selimyan,
an intern at Civilitas. "I am very glad that many people are ready
to be donors as soon as they learn about it."

The reason for the Civilitas participation is not only humanitarian.

It also has to do with the story of Civilitas intern, Olivia
Katrandjian, whose mother is suffering from lymphoma, an aggressive
and unpredictable form of blood cancer. At this point, her only chance
for a cure is a bone marrow transplant. In order to perform this
procedure, the doctors need a blood donor who is a genetic match,
but currently, there are no registered donors who qualify. The best
chance of finding a match is another Armenian, and so Olivia has been
working with the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry to increase the
number of Armenian registrants in the system.

"This Friday is my birthday and the only thing I want this year is to
find a match for my mother," said Olivia. "But it’s about more than
that – 1300 Armenians are in need of a matching donor, including
a four-year old girl in Philadelphia. It’s so easy to sign up, why
not help?"

Joining the registry is simple – it requires only a cotton swab to
collect some cheek cells from the inside of your mouth. "Some people
were scared of the idea that they were going to give blood thinking
that they would lose "tons of it," but it is actually so simple,"
said Tatevik Teroyan, an intern at Civilitas. "Many of them, after
being explained what it means to be a donor, eagerly registered and
even called their friends and relatives to come."

"It was hilarious to approach people in the streets and tell them that
there are thousands of people waiting for a single chance to stay alive
and receive in return their appreciation and willingness to help,"
said Mane Gevorgyan, an intern at Civilitas. "If 10 years ago somebody
organized such an event, my mom’s life could have been also saved."

"Our initiative this Friday reminded me of an idea," said Ani
Navasdaryan, a staff member at Civilitas. "I don’t remember where
I read it, but I really like it: ‘never doubt that a small group of
thoughtful people can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing
that ever has.’ And I want all people to believe in that."

*The next drive will be held on Friday, May 14 at the Civilitas
Office from 5-7 pm. The office is located on the corner of Terian
and Tumanyan Streets, on the 9th Floor of the Northern Business Center.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress