ArmenPress
March 24 2005
ARMENIAN BONE MARROW DONOR REGISTRY MOVES TO NEW PREMISES
YEREVAN, MARCH 24, ARMENPRESS: The Armenian Bone Marrow Donor
Registry Charitable Trust, founded in July 1998 in Armenia as a
non-profit, non-government organization, has moved today to a new
building. Dr. Frieda Jordan, the chairperson of the Fund, said moving
to new premises will help the Fund to expand its capacities and
establish later a bone marrow transplanting center in the country.
The primary mission of the Fund is to save precious Armenian lives
with the volunteer recruitment of Armenian donors worldwide.
Currently, 9,500 donors are registered.
Doctor Jordan said the pool of existing international donors gives
a chance of survival to patients with Leukemia or other blood related
diseases. Last year 350 people with blood diseases from Armenia and
other countries applied to the registry.
Although Armenians are considered Caucasian, their unique genetic
make up makes it very hard for them to find matches for
transplantation. The Trust’s honorary chairperson is the First Lady
of the Republic of Armenia, Dr. Bella Kocharian.
The Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry is a unique project in the
sense that it links the Diaspora with Armenia, making each individual
in any part of the world dependent on the other for survival.
Italy’s ambassador to Armenia, Marco Clemente was present at the
inauguration ceremony and handed a gift from an Italian child whose
life was saved by an Armenian donor last year. The child sent to his
donor a picture he drew and a medal with an inscription “I Love You.”
Last year the Armenian Registry joined the International Bone
Marrow Donor Registry that unites 53 such registries with 9 million
donors.