Jennifer has been diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Her chances of surviving the disease are slim unless she can undergo a bone marrow transplant within the next few months. In addition to our prayers, Jen and her family need our immediate actions to ensure her survival. Before this disease touched our lives, we had no idea that taking a few minutes to perform a simple cheek swab is all that is needed to determine if you can save a person's life. If you are a match, you'll be asked to donate in one of two ways. The most common, called peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation, does not involve surgery. If the patient's doctor requests marrow, marrow donation is a surgical procedure, usually outpatient. For more details, see the Steps of Bone Marrow or PBSC Donation. Please help us to save Jennifer and many others suffering with similar life-threatening illnesses.

We need help reaching as many people as possible to raise awareness about how easy it can be to save a life. Even with millions on the Be The Match Registry, many patients of every age and race cannot find a marrow match. Donors with diverse racial or ethnic backgrounds -- especially donors of African descent -- are especially needed.

To help Jennifer and other patients like her, please join Be The Match Registry and encourage others to join online at http://join.bethematch.org/JJA1068. Note that the "promo code" is JJA1068.

We have a challenge. A big challenge:
Many African Americans fighting diseases like leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia can't find matching marrow donors.

Because the markers used in matching are inherited, patients are more likely to match someone from their own race or ethnicity. There are 8 million people registered on the Be The Match Registry, but only 600,000, or 7%, of those people are African Americans. More people of African descent are urgently needed on the registry so that more lives can be saved.

We need more African Americans to step up and join the Be The Match Registry. If we use our networks to get folks educated, mobilized and registered, we could not only save Jennifer's life but also save the lives of many others across the country.

Every person matters. Even if you are not a match for Jennifer, you may match another person in need and help save a life.

Three important points to remember and convey about how easy it may be to save Jen's life and other lives:

1. 1. To see if you are a match for Jen or others, all that is needed is a cheek swab to join the registry.
2. Potential donors (individuals between 18 and 60 years of age) can either attend a drive or join online and have a kit set to their home, swab their own cheek and send it in for processing.
3. Finally and most importantly - Please keep Jen and her family in your prayers.