Emergency Bone Marrow Drive to Help 2-year-old Child

In response to a life-threatening situation facing a 2-year-old child, several major chessed organizations, in collaboration with over a dozen Bikur Cholims, will be conducting an emergency bone marrow drive this Sunday in Williamsburg and Kiryas Joel.

The effort, conducted by Misaskim, seeks to test at least 10,000 potential donors. Because of the genetic make-up of Ashkenazi Jewry, it is rare to find a match from the general population; thus the need to register thousands from within the Jewish community to find a suitable donor.

In past years, the taking of blood samples was necessary. Modern advances require a simple mouth swab that takes seconds.

The drive will take place at the following locations:

In Williamsburg: Men at the Hatzolah garage at 318 Penn Street between 1:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m., and women at Park Care at 445 Park Ave. between noon and 5:00 p.m.

In Kiryas Joel: Men only at 63 Forest Road between 1:00 p.m. and 10:00 p.m.

Due to medical regulations, this testing is for ages 18 to 45 only.