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A Recap of April

2 May 2012 | No Comments | posted by cheekswab | in Blog

So the updates to this site became significantly more sparse during the month of April. That was a result of a few factors:

  • I didn't host any drives in April, so there weren't many drive announcements or recaps to highlight.
  • I spent a couple weeks developing the Donation Stories section, which Dennis was so gracious in lending his story to. True story: Dennis was at the hospital a couple weeks ago to donate white blood cells (does his generosity ever stop?) and he was randomly fist-bumped in the hall by a girl who had seen his bone marrow donation video! She was there herself to donate marrow, and said the video really helped her out. :)
  • I was pretty burnt out from the end of last month, where I helped coordinate four drives in two weeks (including three in the last week). At times I'm still trying to find a balance between work, Cheekswab, and being 26.

But here we are in May, and it's been four and a half months since launch, and things are still going strong. While I can't promise a constant stream of updates into the future, Read more..

Promoting the cause

18 Jan 2012 | No Comments | posted by cheekswab | in Blog

So I just put the first public promotion of cheekswab on Facebook, and the response from friends has been overwhelming. To all of those who have re-shared, linked, re-tweeted and redirected others to this site, I thank you. Spreading awareness about the issue is the first step in changing lives.

There are those people out there, especially in the social media landscape, that are fantastic at self-promotion. Youtube channels, Facebook pages, twitter replies, etc. Unfortunately, given my personality type, I am decidedly not one of those people. But I do see the value in social media, and I think there's a delicate balance between using social media in an unobtrusive yet informative/engaging manner and the world of twitter-bots and Farmville updates. It'll be a work in progress, but I look forward to figuring out how to use social media in the most effective manner possible. Please let me know if cheekswab ever gets to the point where it begins to disrupt that balance.

For those of you coming to this site for the first time, I encourage you to do something along the lines of the following:

  • Read the site content. I'm not interested in fooling anybody into joining anything. The commitment required to be a donor is too serious to be accepted under false pretenses. As a prospective donor you have the right to be objectively and honestly informed, and anything to the contrary will ultimately serve to undercut the need for more donors rather than substantiate it.
  • Order a swab kit online. If you're not local to VA/DC/MD and don't know of an upcoming drive in your area, the fastest way to join the registry is to order a swab kit directly from the National Marrow Donor Program.
  • Consider a financial donation to the NMDP. It costs $100 to register a single person into the bone marrow registry. If you have the means, please consider making a financial donation to help offset some of these costs.
  • Host a drive. For VA/MD/DC residents, please consider hosting a drive. I would love to help schedule one with you. I welcome minorities of all ethnicities, but I'd especially welcome the opportunity to engage with any non-East Asian communities. To be honest, I don't have many ties to other minority groups and would love to develop some.
  • Spread the word. Please share this site address in whatever capacity makes you comfortable. Awareness is the first step to real, effectual change.

Thanks again for visiting. Please use the contact page to get in touch with me for any reason.

Dan

cheekswab.org Goes Live!

16 Jan 2012 | 1 Comment | posted by cheekswab | in Blog

5 months later, the website is ready to go live.

It's been a long road, with probably upwards of 100 hours of writing content and making design choices. But I'm pleased with how everything turned out, and I think it could serve as a really valuable resource to anyone who wants to learn more about becoming a bone marrow donor.

Brief acknowledgements:

  • Elly Kim, the fantastically talented and patient designer of the logo at the top of the page;
  • The number of close friends and family that gave me advice, encouragement, and helped proofread the content of this site;
  • The National Marrow Donor Program, for providing such an incredible, live-saving public service and a wealth of information on their website;
  • Anyone who has joined or considered joining but wanted to learn more about the bone marrow registry;
  • Those patients needing a bone marrow transplant and their loved ones.

Check back for updates, and please share the link to those who many not know about the cause already! We'll also be on twitter: @cheekswab.