Ezer Mizion is looking for a match for 8-year-old Miri and a 37-year-old mother of five in the tristate area too. What does swabbing entail? And what does it mean if you’re a match? It’s so much easier than you think!
Join Ezer Mizion’s swab drive across the tri-state area to be swabbed for bone marrow: find more information here.
Between Carpools is all about the day-to-day life of a busy Jewish woman. You can expect articles with the next great (easy) recipe, a laundry hack, or an inspirational message. What you may not expect is an article featuring Ezer Mizion: the world’s largest Jewish bone marrow donor registry. But when learning about their upcoming swab drive for 8-year-old Miri, we knew we had to join their campaign.
Dr. Bracha Zisser, manager of the National Bone Marrow Registry for cancer patients for Ezer Mizion, describes the background of the registry. “When my late husband Moti contracted cancer, we were suddenly exposed to the horrors of the illness. Moti, in desperate need of a bone marrow match, was added to an ever-growing bone marrow donor list. And as we waited and waited with no donor in sight, we realized that his life along with the lives of countless patients are hovering.”
And that’s how the bone marrow registry was born.
Dr. Zisser explains the process for swabbing: bone marrow samples are taken through a saliva sample from the inside of your cheek. And if you’re a match, the procedure is simple. It takes place while sitting in an armchair, lasts about 4-6 hours, isn’t painful and literally saves lives.
This week, Ezer Mizion is hosting a swab drive across the tristate area to find a potential match for Miri.
They’re visiting Flatbush today, Cedarhurst tomorrow, Lakewood on Wednesday. There are also stops in Williamsburg, Monsey, New Square, and Monroe over the next week.
See how you can be a part of the swab drive and learn more on Ezer Mizion’s website here!
any way to swab if I don’t live in the tristate area?
Can a pregnant lady be qualified for the procedure should she be a match?
No, you can’t donate while pregnant, however since your swab would now be in the registry, they could call you in the future for a different patient. I swabbed while pregnant with my oldest. I got a call as a possible match about 10 years later! In the end they found a better match, so i did not donate but they told me that i could not become pregnant during the process if i did turn out to be the best match and was willing to go through with donation.