Bone Marrow Drive
April 8, 2009
Dear Elected Officials, Community Partners & APAMSA Students,
We would like to invite you to watch our You-Tube video featuring Yul Kwon, Spokesperson for "Be the Match" - the National Marrow Donor Program and winner of Survivor Cook Islands.
We had the opportunity to work with Yul Kwon when Elena Ong, APAMSA Advisory Board Member invited us to participate in the 2009 Presidential Inaugural Committee's National Day of Service. We are proud to announce that Yul is our official spokesperson for "1,000 Cranes for Hope," APAMSA's national service project to increase the number of AAPIs registered in the "Be The Match" National Marrow Registry, one thousand AAPIs at a time.
For every day, as the clock ticks, 6,000 patients and their health providers, are searching the "Be The Match" Bone Marrow Registry, with one hope - the hope of finding a caring person, like you, who is willing to donate their bone marrow, or organize a bone marrow drive, to save a human life.
Unfortunately, there are not enough people registered in the marrow program, for patients to find their life-saving donor in time. The situation is particularly acute for AAPIs. Only half-a-million, or 3% of the nation's AAPIs are registered, and our goals to increase that number by 1,000 by APA Heritage Month, 2009.
That's why we invite you to become one of our "Golden Cranes of Hope" by being an APAMSA leader who is willing to organize a bone marrow drive or "Be The Match" party at your college or medical campus, and/or in the AAPI community, by APA Heritage Month,
a community leader or elected official who is willing to invite APAMSA to set up a bone marrow drive at a community event you are speaking at during APA Heritage Month
an elected official or celebrity who is willing to call-into, or speak at, a "Be the Match" Marrow Drive/Party.
If you are a leader at an APAMSA Chapter, contact Vinca Chow, APAMSA's National Marrow Director, at
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or
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.
If you are an elected official or celebrity, contact Elena Ong, APAMSA Advisory Board Member, at
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.
Be sure to sign up between April 7 - April 30, 2009, so we can roll-out our APA Heritage Month Calendar on May 1, 2009.
Sincerely,
Shelly Choo Vinca Chow Elena Ong
APAMSA APAMSA APAMSA
National President National Marrow Director Advisory Board Member
Sadako’s Story
The "1,000 Cranes for Hope" Campaign is a tribute to Sadako Sasaki, the girl from Hiroshima who developed leukemia at the age of 11, as a result of radiation exposure to the Atomic Bomb when she was 2.
To give Sadako HOPE, Sadako's friend folded her a gold crane while telling Sadako the legacy of "1,000 Cranes."
Sadako believed that if she folded 1,000 cranes, the 1,000th crane would cure her of her disease.
Sadako completed folding 644 cranes before she passed away.
Her story was so inspiring that her neighbors and friends folded the remaining 356 cranes, to keep Sadako's legacy for HOPE alive.
Every Peace Day, Japan honors Sadako's legacy by folding 1,000 cranes.
