Professor Jennifer L. Aaker speaking about National Marrow Donor Program at #med2

I registered for the Be The Match Registry in 2009 when I was moved by a story on Facebook about a young woman named Jodie Gee. There is a tremendous need for Asians to register on the Be The Match Registry. The National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating an opportunity for all patients to receive the bone marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant they need, when they need it. I encourage you to register for the Be The Match Registry. You can request a cheek swab kit here.

Medicine 2.0 kicked off this morning with this:

Professor Jennifer L. Aaker shared a moving story about two south-east Asians (Sameer and Vinay) who were diagnosed with leukemia and who required a bone marrow transplant to survive. She spoke about the power of social media and about social change. How do you influence the community in a way that revolutionizes the world? To learn the answer,  I encourage you to read her book titled, "The Dragonfly Effect."

Mylotarg (gemtuzumab ozogamicin) removed from the market

Here it is from the FDA:

FDA: Pfizer Voluntarily Withdraws Cancer Treatment Mylotarg from U.S. Market

Pfizer Inc. today announced the voluntary withdrawal from the U.S. market of the drug Mylotarg (gemtuzumab ozogamicin) for patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML), a bone marrow cancer. The company took the action at the request of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration after results from a recent clinical trial raised new concerns about the product’s safety and the drug failed to demonstrate clinical benefit to patients enrolled in trials.

Are You Willing to Save a Life?

If you are, then please register to donate your bone marrow to save a life. There's a person named Nick Glasgow who has a Facebook page about his fight against acute leukemia (to find this page, search for "SAVE NICK GLASGOW" after you log into Facebook. He's in need of a bone marrow transplant and you could be the one to save his life. Given his unique ethnic (he's 1/4 Japanese and 3/4 Caucasian), it will be very difficult for him to find a match. Advances in medical technology and drug development have led to some incredible cancer therapies, but a bone marrow transplant still remains the only cure for many diseases.

I was deeply moved by a story on Facebook about a woman named Jodie Gee who was also in need of a bone marrow transplant. Her story inspired me to register with the Asian American Donor Program at AADP.org. Here's what I had to do to register: order a registration kit (which was free through the AADP); sign several forms; swab the inside of your mouth; and send the packet in the mail (pre-stamped). It only takes a few minutes of your time and you'll never be forced to donate if you're on the registry.