The Cheekswab Blog
Under Construction
2 Oct 2011 | No Comments | posted by cheekswab | in Blog
Finding an appropriate design for the website is a lot harder than I thought it'd be. Same with determining and producing the right content. There's a lot more strategy that goes into the design and structure of a website than you'd think. Attention spans are precious (and fleeting).
I was going to write more about this, but I'll write a synopsis later when I'm done. If I've learned anything so far, it's that you can sit in a chair and think about things until your head hurts. There's more to be said about actually putting forth an effort to get the thing done.
Hope
27 Sep 2011 | No Comments | posted by cheekswab | in Blog
From Alice Song's blog:
It is confirmed. 9/10 match. Not perfect, but may be good enough. I am trusting God this is His leading and guidance. We need to meet with the BMT department. I have a LOT of questions and concerns that I want to ask and bring up. This also means, we are going to try to fly out to Children’s Hospital of Texas to get a 2nd consult on the transplant. It’s unbelievable, at the same time what it’s suppose to be. My mind is racing with things I need to do, people I need to email, logistics of possibly relocating to the fears of transplant risks.
Thank you for your prayers. I have been encouraged beyond words from people close and far, even from people I have never met. THANK YOU. Your prayers have been my strength when doubts cloud over me. Please continue to do so as we make many life-changing decisions for our family.
Please continue to spread the word about bone marrow registry. This prospect of hope can be given to another family…
Lastly, would you lift up a prayer for Timothy’s health today? He had a fever today. He hasn’t had a fever in a long time, since April. I am hoping it’s just viral and will go away soon. He was pretty cranky today
. Anytime he has a fever, it’s nerve-wracking for Daniel and myself.
First Official BeTheMatch Drive
24 Sep 2011 | No Comments | posted by cheekswab | in Blog
I just got back from the first official drive I've participated in as a level two volunteer with the National Marrow Donor Program. The other NMDP volunteer and I manned a table at a health fair at Greater Little Zion Baptist Church in Fairfax, VA.
I was eager to get this drive started because while I did participate in the drive at my church last Sunday, I've yet to observe/participate in an "official" NMDP/BeTheMatch drive. The NMDP really is an incredible organization. They perform 99% of the legwork when it comes to registering donors: they provide all the materials, all the training, all the coordination, and all the processing. They just lack that extra 1% of in-the-flesh volunteers to oversee the filling out of forms and swabbing process. After a drive we make sure the forms are filled out properly, go to Fedex, and the NMDP already has the postage paid for returning completed registrations.
The health fair at Greater Little Zion was awesome. It's such a great service to not only their congregants but the community at large. There were tables for blood pressure screenings, diabetes screenings, breast/cervical cancer awareness, free health checkups, Fairfax County public resources information, environmental awareness, financial counseling, psychological counseling... the list goes on. The people were incredibly nice, curious, and willing to help in whatever way they could.
We registered three donors today, which at first glance looks small but I'm extremely pleased with. Every new person represents a chance at life; the numbers game isn't what's important. It was also partly due to Greater Little Zion's involvement with causes like bone marrow registration in the past, as we actually had a lot of people tell us they were already on the registry. It really is a testament to the social awareness of the church and their willingness to engage people beyond their walls.
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