Columbia University Teachers College Bone Marrow Drive NYC – Thursday 4/19

Janet Liang Columbia Teachers College Drive

Swab for Janet Liang at Teachers College

Just a quick drive announcement for any folks in New York City!

Janet Liang is still searching for a donor match in the bone marrow registry! Despite the fact that her initiative has helped to register over 13,000 people and resulted in marrow matches for several others, Janet herself still needs a donor. You could be the one to save her life. If you’re in New York City, please consider visiting Teachers College at Columbia University THIS THURSDAY to see if you’re a match!

Drive details:

  • Who: Team Janet, Volunteers from Teachers College (and friends of cheekswab!)
  • Where: Everett Lounge, 525 West 120th Street
  • When: 3:00pm – 9:00pm
  • Why: To save lives!

Remember that all the information you need with regards to the need, the process and frequently asked questions can be found throughout this site. Get informed, get convicted, and get registered!


Announcing Dennis’ Donation Story and Cheekswab on YouTube

For the past several months I’ve been working on a new section of the site entitled Donation Stories. The purpose of this section is to chronicle the stories of people who have donated marrow in an honest and personal way. I’ve done my best to provide comprehensive information about bone marrow donation on this site — the methods, the logistics and time commitment, and addressing some common questions — but something was missing.

Since I’m unable to personally join the registry for medical reasons, I’ll never know what it’s like mentally and emotionally to go through the process of donating marrow. I can write about the parameters of the time commitment but I don’t know what it’s actually like to sacrifice the time for checkups and blood tests. Up until now, the emotional and mental perspective is what this site has lacked. The Donation Stories section hopes to address that need.

Dennis' Donation Story

I’ve written about Dennis previously in this blog and the fact that he was asked to donate to an anonymous patient in early December. What you didn’t know Continue reading “Announcing Dennis’ Donation Story and Cheekswab on YouTube”


Whitehouse AAPI Conference Call on Leukemia and Bone Marrow Recap

Whitehouse AAPI

Last Thursday I was able to listen in on a conference call hosted by the Whitehouse Initiative on Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders as representatives from both government agencies and grassroots organizations shared their experiences in spreading awareness for bone marrow donation. The speakers on the call all brought an enormous amount of experience and knowledge to the discussion. They included representatives from:

Continue reading “Whitehouse AAPI Conference Call on Leukemia and Bone Marrow Recap”