Thank You!

Thank you to the community, the marrow donors, the sponsors, the volunteers and the NMDP for a successful drive yesterday at Cimbrian.

Our goal was to add 200 potential new donors to the national registry. When the day was over, there were 355 people who were added to the registry! Many more came out to support and some could not donate due to health restrictions, but the family was very thankful for the response from the community.

Since there was an amazing turnout, it does mean we will need to continue to raise funds to cover the cost of the typing. If there are any corporate donors wishing to contribute, please email for a copy of the contribution form.

We will continue to post updates about Alivia here, as well as any other bone marrow drives that may be taking place in your region.

You may visit a donor center in your area and be tested on your own, but you may be responsible for the cost of typing (normally around $52).

The Central Blood Bank in the Pittsburgh area is one of the only centers in the nation where it is free to have your tissue typed for the NMDP when you donate a pint of blood. They have donation centers all over Western PA.

Also note that due to the need for diversity, people with Black and African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and Hispanic and Latino heritage are tissue typed for free.

We are so happy to have been a part of this event and do what we can to support a family through this time.

Community Event

Bone Marrow Drive: Signing Up New Donors to the National Registry
In Honor of Alivia Haughery and the thousands of patients like her

When: Sunday, Oct. 29
Time: Noon - 4pm
Where: Cimbrian Offices at 333 North Arch Street in Lancaster, PA

Walk-In's Welcome
Free - Fundraising taking place to cover tissue typing cost
Donors must be aged 18-60 and in good basic health
Donors must agree to donate to any patient in need if they are a match
Please read information here to decide if you can become a donor.

Please read previous posts for more information on fundraising.
We hope to see you there!

Drive Donations

If you would like to make a monetary donation for The Bone Marrow Drive this Sunday, you can donate online.

Or you can contribute by phone:

Call	1 800 MARROW 2 (select 4)
	(1-800-627-7692)

If you prefer to mail a check to The Marrow Foundation, email me and I can send you the Friends of Alivia Haughery Fund form to send with your donation.

All donations are tax deductible. We look forward to seeing you all on Sunday from Noon - 4pm at the Cimbrian Offices at 333 North Arch St. in downtown Lancaster!

Updates

* Sounds like tonight's fundraiser was a success! No official numbers yet, but thanks to everyone who came out to Isaac's with a flyer. So glad you all like to eat! Big thanks go out to Sonya for organizing these events.

* Before tonight's fundraiser, we had the news that a substantial donation has come through to the Friends of Alivia Haughery Fund at the Marrow Foundation. We now have $1025 toward our goal of $5000. This will cover this costs to add our goal of 200 new donors to the NMDP Registry. Those who have made or pledged these generous donations are eliminating the financial burden for many in the community who are ready to be living donors - thank you.

* Be sure to keep spreading the word about this Sunday's Marrow Drive from Noon - 4pm at the Cimbrian Offices at 333 North Arch St. in Lancaster. We are very appreciative to Cimbrian for sponsoring this event and allowing us to use their beautiful space. You can map directions from your location to Cimbrian by visiting their website.

* If you can't make it this Sunday, visit a donor center near you or if you live in Pittsburgh, have your tissue typed for free with any blood donation. The drive in Harrisburg has passed, but we will try to alert people to new drives that may be happening in nearby regions.





Although "excited" isn't the right word, I think the family is anticipating this weekend with open hearts. I can't speak for them, but I know Emily feels very blessed by everyone's support. She doesn't want to be known as the family with the sick child and that's why this drive is somewhat of a reality overload.
She & James are such great parents and we all love Livi so much. This weekend will be a success for Livi and all the patients out there and families who love them.

Eat at Isaac's in Lancaster, Harrisburg or Hershey on Oct. 23

Be sure to print and bring this flyer with you!

Spread the Word!

Drive Date: October 29

In the next couple of days the announcement will be made, but please note that Sunday, October 29 is the definite date for the Bone Marrow Drive.
We have finalized the location and are working through a few remaining issues - will post as soon as the info is available.
Thanks again to all who are considering being a donor and all the generous people donating time and money to help Alivia and the thousands of other children & adults in need of transplants.

Being a Bone Marrow Donor

Our goal will be to add 200 new donors to the National Marrow Donor Program through this drive in honor of Alivia. Again, the time and date of this drive is not final, but will be announced very soon. In preparation, we wanted to pass along this information if you are thinking of becoming a donor.
There are several things to take into consideration:

* You must be between the ages of 18 – 60 and in good general health. Click here for health guidelines.

* The day of the drive, you would undergo a quick, simple, painless cheek swab. If you have matching factors, you would be called back in at a later date for additional testing.

* While you will be tissue typed to be a match for Alivia, you are also volunteering to be a donor for any potential patient who might need a transplant through the registry. It is a decision that you should think through and possibly discuss with your family. Click here for more details.

* You do not need to be present the day of the drive to be a donor. You may visit a donor center in your area and be tested on your own, but you may be responsible for the cost of typing (normally arond $52).

* The Central Blood Bank in the Pittsburgh area is one of the only centers in the nation where it is free to have your tissue typed for the NMDP when you donate a pint of blood. They have donation centers all over Western PA.

* Also note that due to the need for diversity, people with Black and African American, American Indian and Alaska Native, Asian, Native Hawaiian and Other Pacific Islander, and Hispanic and Latino heritage are tissue typed for free.

* If you cannot volunteer to be a donor, please assist us by spreading the word about the drive or perhaps make a small contribution to help defray the cost for those who are able to donate.

* There is a cost associated with tissue typing. We are currently fundraising and working with The Marrow Foundation to reduce or possibly eliminate that cost. We will let everyone know in advance if there will be a minimal cost associated with the drive in honor of Alivia.

We are seeking corporate donors to contribute to a tax-deductible fund to cover costs for the drive. Our goal is to raise $5,000. Donations can be made online here and can also be mailed to with the form mentioned in the previous post to:

The Marrow Foundation
400 Seventh Street, NW, Suite 206
Washington, DC 20004
Reference: Friends of Alivia Haughery Fund

Friends of Alivia Haughery Fundraiser Letter

There are two events underway: fundraising and planning for the Bone Marrow Drive. Everyone is eager to help and show support - the outpouring of generosity is amazing.

There will be more info to follow on the drive itself. Several things need to happen before the official announcement can be made. But if you can, tentatively mark your calendars for October 28 and there will be more information as soon as it is available.

In the meantime, we are seeking donations primarily from businesses to donate to the Friends of Alivia Haughery Fund, which is a named, restricted fund at The Marrow Foundation. These funds will be used to cover costs for the drive, including the tissue typing.
Our goal is to raise $5000 in the hopes that we can add 200 new donors to the registry in Livi's name. It could be that there is already a match in the registry for her - or maybe not - but either way, we are committed to the drive. Drop me an email and I'll forward the document to pass along to friends and businesses. (If any super bloggers out there can tell me how to post a .doc or .pdf - that would be cool!)

This is not a plea for individual donations. Unless of course, you've got cash to throw into an end-of-the-year tax write off :) If you would be approaching business in the Lancaster area, just drop me a note as to avoid repeats. The bracelets, the rugby team fundraiser and several others are underway as well. The family may have other medical expenses that can be covered with those fundraisers.

More info to come!

Too many cute pics to post