News on a free bone marrow drive from the Sun News. Jolie Tirado, who found a compatible bone marrow donor, was diagnosed with AML the same day as I was, and started chemotherapy three days later than I did. The drive is part of a larger event:

And while Jolie's healthy recovery is the most important thing, the Tirado family does face a mounting financial burden in the wake of her diagnosis. With the cost of her hospitalization, treatment, and procedure estimated at a half million dollars, the family will be facing out of pocket expenses in the tens of thousands of dollar range.

To help defray some of the costs as Jolie begins her long road to recovery, family and friends are organizing a benefit for the family. The event will be held on Sunday, April 27 at Infant of Prague Church in Cheektowaga from 1 to 7 p.m.

Organizers of the benefit are still in need of donations and baskets for the Chinese auction. Anyone willing to make a donation can contact Lori Tirado at 228-4728. Individuals who wish to make a cash contribution can make checks payable to "The Benefit for Jolie Tirado."

Most importantly, the event will include a free bone marrow registry drive conducted by the National Bone Marrow Registry. This will give people the chance to join the registry and potentially save a life. The sample is taken by a cotton swab inside your mouth. It is painless, free, and as Jolie points out, it was her donor's decision to join the registry that may have saved her life.

Labels: bone marrow drives, free registration, New York, US