I just heard from someone named Tine who is trying to help to spread the information about
Kai. She wrote: "Maybe you have heard about the boy already. There will be a donor
drive in Brooklyn on May 17th on the Prospect Park YMCA. Any help is
highly appreciated. Would you email this press release or the attached
flyer to the people who signed up for the newsletter and also post it
on the web? Thank you so much."

Four year-old Diagnosed with Rare Form of Leukemia Needs Your Help
DKMS and Friends of the Family Hold Life-Saving Bone Marrow Donor Drive

Just
a few weeks ago, four-year-old Kai Anderson was diagnosed with a rare
and aggressive form of leukemia (Philadelphia Chromosome-Positive Acute
Lymphoblastic Leukemia). Kai's only hope for a cure lies in a bone
marrow transplant.

DKMS, the world’s largest bone marrow donor
center, and friends of Kai’s family, are holding a life-saving bone
marrow donor drive at the Park Slope YMCA, on Sunday, May 17th, to help
find a match for Kai and thousands of others just like him who are
battling this life- threatening blood disease and depend on you for
survival.

Kai was diagnosed on April 6, 2009, exactly one year
after his father and buddy, David, was diagnosed with Mantle Cell
Lymphoma, also a rare and complicated form of cancer. Dealing with one
cancer is hard enough, but trying to cope with two family members with
two different and rare types of cancer is extremely trying.   

The
general public has the power to give hope to the Anderson family and
other families going through the same heartache and pain by attending
the drive: Hope For Kai Bone Marrow Donor Drive, Sunday, May 17, 10:00
am – 2:00 pm, Prospect Park YMCA, 357 Ninth St. (Between Sixth Ave and
Fifth Ave), Brooklyn.

“We are overwhelmed by the enormous outpouring of support from our friends and the
community.
It gives us strength and hope in this difficult situation to have the
help of so many people,” Kai’s parents Birgit and David.

“Seventy
percent of patients depend on a complete stranger to give them a second
chance at life,” stated Katharina Harf, EVP, DKMS Americas. “Today, a
stranger like you can save Kai or someone like him. Tomorrow a stranger
might help save you or someone you love.”

Leukemia and other
blood cancers touch kids and adults of all ethnic backgrounds and from
all walks of life.  Therefore, there is a need to continue to diversify
the pool of donors so that all patients have a fair chance at finding a
donor match.   

Registering to become a bone marrow donor is
more than a cheek swab; it is a commitment to help save a life. When
you register with DKMS, you will be listed on the national registry and
can be found as a donor match for any patient in need of a transplant.
Learn more about your commitment and check if you are eligible.

When
a registered donor is identified as a match for a patient, a DKMS
representative contacts the donor and guides him/her through the entire
process.  There are two possible ways a donor could be asked to donate:
peripheral blood stem cell donation (requested about 80% of the time)
and marrow donation (requested about 20% of the time). The donation
method is determined by the patient's doctors, so it is important to be
comfortable with both types of donation. Learn more about the bone
marrow donation process.

As a non-profit organization, DKMS
relies on the generosity of individuals to help finance the $65 cost
DKMS pays to tissue type each bone marrow donor who registers. 
Donations are voluntary. 100% of your donation will be used to register
donors and add them on the national registry.

About DKMS

DKMS
was founded in Germany in 1991 by Peter Harf and Professor Dr. Gerhard
Ehninger, after Peter lost his wife, Mechtild, to acute leukemia.
Today, DKMS is the world’s largest and most successful bone marrow
donor center with nearly 2 million registered donors. Since its
founding, DKMS has facilitated more than 16,000 transplants.

DKMS
is committed to the fight against leukemia. We strive to give every
blood cancer patient and equal chance by recruiting donors from every
race and ethnicity. We inspire hope and healing by helping to match our
donors with patients in need of a bone marrow transplant.

DKMS Americas is a 501 (c)(3) non profit organization. 

For more information about DKMS and to learn more about registering as a bone marrow donor, please visit http://www.dkmsamericas.org/