A cheek swab may be all it takes to save the life of an internatio-nally recognized musician as well as many other people throughout the world. University students participated in a blood marrow donor drive on behalf of renowned jazz saxophonist, Michael Brecker, who has been diagnosed with Myelodysplastic Syndrome (MDS), a bone marrow disorder in which certain blood cells are under-produced. The Gift of Life Foundation joined with the University's Hillel Jewish Student Union to host the drive Monday in Newcomb Hall.
In addition to MDS, which is a rather uncommon disorder diagnosed in approximately 20,000 Americans each year, the drive also benefited patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other blood-related cancers and diseases. By giving a buccal swab (a Q-tip swab in the cheek), donors are entered in the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry, which matches the tissue types of patients with those of donors. If a match is found, the transplant will occur either through a blood transfusion or a direct stem cell transplant.
Getting tested to donate "is easier than taxes, but that's a horrible thing to say -- it's easy," said Law student Anna Markham, who participated in the drive. According to Markham, the Law School has been active in publicizing the event.
The Gift of Life Foundation particularly seeks to increase representation of the Jewish community in the registry, as Jewish donors are harder to locate because of the drastic population loss of the Holocaust. The University's Tzedek Hillel Initiative, which focuses on community service, aimed this drive toward students of all backgrounds.
"The goal is to find more donors at a younger age," said second-year Nursing student Abigail Rundquist, a co-vice president of the Initiative. According to the Foundation, donors are taken off the registry at the age of 61, so the earlier a donor is put on the list, the greater the opportunity his or her tissue type will match a patient's.
After being tested, donors can decide whether or not they would like to be listed on the registry.
"I'd like to think that someone would [donate bone marrow] for me, so I would do it for them," said second-year Law student Kristin Keranen, who agreed to be listed.
According to Rundquist, the Initiative had planned to hold the donor drive before Brecker became involved in the organization, but the increased publicity from his celebrity has helped raise awareness.
"It helps when you attach a face," Rundquist said.
According to his Web site, Brecker is considered the world's most accomplished living tenor saxophone player and composer and has won 11 Grammy Awards -- more than any other saxophonist. He has performed with entertainers including James Taylor, Paul Simon, John Lennon, Frank Sinatra, Eric Clapton and many others. After being diagnosed with MDS, the 56-year-old musician has had to cancel his 2005 tour as he awaits treatment.
Despite the drive being in honor of Brecker, he said the overall purpose is to increase the number of donors nationwide.
"So many diseases can be treated and cured by a bone marrow/stem cell transplant," Brecker said in a press release. "By speaking out, I hope to encourage as many people as possible to get tested -- not only to assist me, but to help the thousands of others who are either facing or who will be facing the same challenge with which I'm currently confronted."
Over the past two months, drives have taken place at festivals and community centers throughout the world, yet no match has been found for Brecker. Although MDS is not a cancer, a press release stated Brecker currently is undergoing his second set of chemotherapy at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York in preparation for a potential transplant.
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