A member of the Havre de Grace Ambulance Corps and Lifetime member of the Susquehanna Hose Company needs your help. Vince Way has a life-threatening blood disease. His only chance for survival is a marrow or blood cell transplant. None of Vinces family members were found to match Vince closely enough to donate. The Way Family turned to the National Marrow Donor Program NMDP which operates a Registry of unrelated volunteer donors willing to donate marrow or blood cells to patients in need of a transplant. A search of donors currently on the Registry is being conducted now. YOUR HELP IS NEEDED We are organizing a recruitment drive to increase the number of donors on the NMDP Registry and we need eligible volunteers to participate. Anyone who meets the health guidelines and is age 18 through 60 can join the Registry. After learning about the donation process and signing a consent form volunteers are tested through a simple cheek swab that will be tested for their tissue type. If you wish to learn more about the NMDP their web site is www.marrow.org. Everyone tested will be added to the NMDP Registry of volunteer donors that is searched by patients such as Vince. To join the Registry please attend our drive that will be held on October 22nd 1200 until 500 pm at Company 5-9 at 1601 Level Rd Harve De Grace Maryland 21078. Testing for Firefighters EMS Providers and Police Officers will be provided free of charge on October 22nd through funding received from the National Marrow Donor Program NMDP. We also hope to fund everyones testing through donations and fund-raisers. The NMDP coordinator has also informed us that there is a critical need for minority donors so testing for minorities will also be free of charge. Therefore we are actively seeking African Americans Asians Hispanics Native Americans Latinos etc. to sign up to be tested and placed on the registry.Again THANK YOU The life you save could be that of a friend like Vince or a love one If you wish to help out with a financial contribution you may make your check payable to Havre de Grace Ambulance Corps PO Box 465 Havre de Grace MD 21078. Please write Vincent Way in the memo area of the check to ensure the money is placed in the appropriate account. Your help to make this recruitment drive is sorely needed and I am soliciting volunteers to make the drive a success. If youd like to help out and be a part of the Committee or you have questions please feel free to contact me at 410-939-4589 or email me at LetsHelpVincecomcast.net. Thank youSusie AngelucciChairperson
