FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

"Second Chance Saturday” to Help Nicole Howard, Others in Need of Bone Marrow Transplants

NOVEMBER 14, 2001 — The Puget Sound Blood Center is raising awareness about the need to join the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry to help a local child, as well as others who need a lifesaving marrow transplant. The Blood Center urges people between the ages of 18 and 60 to join the Registry at an upcoming drive called “Second Chance Saturday.”

Four-year-old Nicole Howard, daughter of a Seattle Police detective, is fighting a rare form of leukemia. Because of her multiracial heritage, doctors so far are unable to locate a marrow match for her. “Second Chance Saturday” is being held in Nicole’s honor, where people of mixed ethnic heritage are especially encouraged to join.

• What: "Second Chance Saturday” Marrow Drive
• When: Saturday, Nov. 17, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
• Where: Miller Community Center, 330 19th Ave. in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood.

Nicole's Story
Nicole suffers from chronic myeloid leukemia (CML) -- a type of leukemia found rarely in young children. The only known cure is a bone marrow transplant. Because donated marrow must be genetically similar to the recipient, the best chance of finding a suitable donor is with someone of similar racial or ethnic background.

No one in Nicole's family is a suitable match, and because of Nicole's mixed Asian-Caucasian heritage, she will most likely need a match from a donor of a similar background.

"We're leaving no stone unturned to find a donor for our daughter," said Nicole's father, Rob Howard. "And through this drive, we will increase the diversity of the Marrow Registry and ultimately save not just Nicole's life -- but the lives of others."

A Worldwide Need
Every year, thousands of adults and children throughout the world need a bone marrow transplant, a procedure that may be their only chance for survival. Although some patients with aplastic anemia, leukemia or other cancers have a genetically matched family member who can donate, about 70 percent do not. These patients' lives depend on finding an unrelated individual with a compatible tissue type, often within their own ethnic group, who is willing to donate marrow.

There is a critical need for more bone marrow donors. Many patients, especially people of color, cannot find a compatible donor among those on the Registry. Patients and donors must have matching tissue types, and these matches are found most often between people of the same ethnic group. A large, ethnically diverse group of prospective donors will give more patients a chance for survival.

The Puget Sound Blood Center's Role
The Puget Sound Blood Center is the Western Washington recruitment center for the National Marrow Donor Program. In addition to increasing the diversity of the Registry, the Blood Center is focused on increasing the ethnic diversity of the local blood supply through the Rare Donor Program, which is made possible through a grant by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation.

To find out more about the marrow registry or other life-saving programs, contact the Puget Sound Blood Center at (206) 292-6500, or visit the Blood Center's Web site at www.psbc.org.

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