Stars vs. Cancer

NY Knicks Urge Basketball Fans to Join Registry

With the support of basketball centers Felton Spencer and Travis Knight, the New York Knicks organization is calling on New Yorkers to volunteer to become a potential marrow or blood stem cell donor on the National Marrow Donor Program Registry.

The Stars vs. Cancer Minority Marrow Donor Recruitment Campaign, will focus on education and recruitment of potential volunteer donors, especially minority donors, for patients with life-threatening diseases such as leukemia and aplastic anemia as well as certain immune system and genetic disorders.

Background

"I was fortunate to have received a second chance at life. I want to allow others suffering from cancer to continue living out their dreams, the same way an anonymous donor provided that immeasurable gift for me and my family," Weiner said. "I have called upon my 12 years of experience as a sports agent and contacts in the sports and entertainment fields, to raise awareness nationally of the need for increasing the number of volunteer donors on the NMDP Registry."

Stem cell transplants require matching certain tissue traits of the donor and patient. Because the characteristics that determine whether a donor and patient match are inherited, a patient's best chance of finding a matched donor is from his or her own racial or ethnic group. Although more minority patients are finding donors for their transplants, they are still less likely than Caucasians to identify a matched donor. More African Americans, Asian and Pacific Islanders, Hispanics, and American Indian and Alaska Natives are needed as volunteer donors, so others can have a second chance at life.

A special Stars vs. Cancer Fund has been established at The Marrow Foundation to help pay the cost of tissue-typing new volunteers to the Registry. For more information, please contact Jeannie Howe at (202) 638-6601. Contributions may be sent to The Marrow Foundation, 400 Seventh St. NW, Suite 206, Washington, D.C. 20004.

This event is sponsored by New York Knicks, the NMDP, New York Blood Center, the local NMDP Donor Center and the NMDP's partner, The Marrow Foundation.