February 2, 2015

SAM (Sharing America’s Marrow)

By
SAM3

Sam (centre) with sister Alex (r) and best friend Taylor

You might have noticed the new information stream at the bottom of this website, just to the left of centre. It’s a RSS feed taken from SAM (Sharing America’s Marrow) which is a really wonderful initiative being driven by two sisters, Sam & Alex along with their best friend, Taylor.

These three ladies are taking a year out of their lives to tour all the way across America, encouraging people in 191 cities to join the stem cell register. Their road trip, which is being run in partnership with Delete Blood Cancer USA, is nicknamed ’50k 50 States’ given the aim of achieving 50,000 new registrants from the 50 states – a hugely ambitious quest, which they launched in earnest last week.

Wishing you the very best of luck Sam, Alex & Taylor ! x

About SAM

SAMAfter Sam Kimura was diagnosed with severe aplastic anemia in 2010, she was told that she would need a bone marrow transplant in order to be cured. Because her sister Alex wasn’t a match for the transplant, Sam had to look to the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry in hopes of finding someone whose tissue type matched hers out of the millions of people signed up. Not one was a match. Unfortunately Sam’s case is not unique and thousands of patients with bone marrow diseases and blood cancers are unable to find transplant matches simply because there are not enough donors signed up. Sharing America’s Marrow (SAM) was created to change this.

5670468_origSam and Alex, along with their best friend Taylor Shorten, have started on a journey across the country to spread the word about the need for donors, to squash the myths about the donation process, and to turn regular people into heroes by giving them the opportunity to save a life. They are going to go to colleges, churches, concerts, sporting events, festivals, and anywhere else where they can sign up potential donors. They created SAM to bring life to those who are fighting for theirs, not just by finding transplant matches, but by fostering hope, inspiring adventure, and generating a supportive and passionate community dedicated to living each day to its fullest.

By the end of the journey, SAM hopes to have started the positive conversation about bone marrow donation in this country, helping people understand that they can save another human being’s life in their lifetime. Their goal is to register at least 50,000 donors in 50 states in 2015, and that for years to come, thousands of others will also seek out the opportunity to be a hero. With this effort, thousand of lives could be saved because matches will be found for these patients in need. And maybe they will even find a hero for Sam too.

To read more about SAM visit: www.sharingamericasmarrow.com

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SAM (Sharing America’s Marrow) + Delete Blood Cancer 2015.

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Husband to Vicki and father to Oscar (2007), Rufus (2008), Digby (2015), Humphrey (2017) & Margot (2012-2014)

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