17 November 2009
When Ben Markman's father Les Markman was diagnosed with leukaemia recently, it triggered the need for a compatible donor to undertake a bone marrow transplant. The following is an open letter from Ben Markman, reaching out to people who may be able to assist his father by joining the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) and therefore becoming a potential donor.
Letter from Ben Markman, son of Les Markman:
Dear all, For those of you who don't already know, a few months ago my father (Les Markman) was diagnosed with leukaemia. Naturally, this is a very nasty hand to be dealt, but we remain optimistic about his outcome. He is currently having treatment with chemotherapy, but to really give him the best chance of beating it he needs to have a bone marrow transplant.
Finding a donor who is well matched with my dad is therefore the priority. So in order to maximize the possibility of finding a match, we are asking as many people as possible to go on the bone marrow registry. This would only require a short interview and a blood test.
We have been told that males are far more likely to be a match for a male. In addition, because of the smaller gene pool, Jewish people are more likely to be a match for my father. But anyone wishing to go on the register is always welcome. With the help of the staff from the bone marrow registry, we are going to have a mini 'drive' to facilitate the process.
For those who kindly agree to this, please understand that by doing so you are going on the registry in general - it is not that you can select to donate to my dad specifically. However, you always retain the right to decide against donating even if you are told you are a match, for my father or any other person.
From my family and myself I extend the warmest gratitude for all those who choose to help out for this noble cause - to save a life.
Thanking you in advance
Ben Markman
About the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR):
The ABMDR is part of a worldwide network of unrelated donor registries. It was established in 1991 as a register of people who are willing to donate their bone marrow or haemopoietic stem cells (HSC) if they are found to be a suitable match for a patient needing a bone marrow transplant.
The ABMDR provides access to a global database of volunteer donors and cord blood units for patients who require a bone marrow or haemopoietic stem cells transplantation but have not found a suitable matched sibling or relative.
Many Australians each year are diagnosed with having leukemia or other fatal blood disorders. A bone marrow or haemopoietic stem cells transplant is the only possibility of cure for many of these patients. Donors need to be suitable matched to the patient which can make it very difficult to find a donor for patients with rare tissue typing. Only 1 in 1000 donors will be a suitable match for a patient requiring a transplant in any given year.
Siblings are the ideal donor for a patient in need of a bone marrow or haemopoietic stem cells transplant, but only one patient in three will find a matched donor within their family. The other two in three patients rely on the ABMDR or other international registries to find them a suitable match.
A person's tissue type is directly related to his or her ethnic origin. Australia needs donors who reflect the many different communities. Without this it becomes difficult to find suitable matched donors of non-European or mixed ethnic backgrounds.
By joining the ABMDR and volunteering to be a bone marrow or haemopoietic stem cells donor you could save a life and offer someone the chance of a lifetime.
For more information about the Australian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) and for information on joining, please visit www.abmdr.org.au.