passing along the message....please take the time to read.


Hi Everyone,

As many of you know, Sherwin (docofmind) was diagnosed with a relapse of his leukemia two weeks ago. Currently he is going through high-dose chemotherapy to try and get the disease back into complete remission. He's been at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center since Monday (6/27). His only hope now is to find a bone marrow donor match, and have a bone marrow transplant if and when a match is found. They are finishing the complete analysis of his bone marrow, and then we will begin the process of looking for a possible donor for a transplant. The doctors will search the national (and some international) registries of potential donors. However, many of you have expressed interest and willingness to be tested and put onto the national registry in hopes that you might be a match for Sherwin (or someone else).

I'm currently gathering names and phone numbers of people in the Southern California area who are interested in getting typed to be a potential donor. When I have names/numbers of interested parties, we will then set a date and time for a marrow drive. Potential donors should be between the ages of 18-60, and in good health. The testing at the drive will involve only giving a small sample of blood and signing a consent form. IF YOU (OR ANYONE YOU KNOW) IS INTERESTED PLEASE EMAIL: jenwong49@hotmail.com. PLEASE PROVIDE ME WITH THE NAME(S) OF INDIVIDUAL(S) WISHING TO BE TESTED, PHONE NUMBER, AND EMAIL ADDRESS. Feel free to email me for more information on the donation process, or to lend support in other ways. I will then contact you with further information regarding the date/location of the marrow drive. We are looking at a weekend date toward the end of July or early August 2005.

For information on being tested in areas outside of the Southern California area, please go to: www.bonemarrowtest.com for a list of drives in your city.

Thank you so much for your time, love, and support. Sherwin is so grateful to have such wonderful friends and family...and so am I. Please pass along this to anyone you think might be interested in joining National Bone Marrow Donor Program.

Love, Jenny Wong

jenwong49@hotmail.com

***Please understand that being typed and put onto the donor registry is a decision that should not be made lightly. It is important to realize that if you are put on the registry, you may be a match for someone desperate for a transplant. While you can decline to proceed with marrow donation at any time after joining the registry, doing so may be devastating for a potential recipient who is waiting for a transplant. For more information on becoming a donor/the donation process, please visit: www.marrow.org

 

Dayum

 

So quick I saw him at the Spugen meet and he looked really good. My thoughts and prayers go out to Sherwin and his family.

 

Oh wow...I wish him the best of luck in finding a donor and for a fast recovery! I remember seeing him at the Spugen BBQ, too.

I've given blood regularly since I was 18. I'm a universal blood donor (O negative), so I feel that it's my responsibility to donate since this type of blood is always in short supply. I urge all of you to donate.

And while I've donated platelets to a cancer patient at Cedars (they take your blood out, remove the platelets and then give you your blood back - takes about 2 hrs but they give you a choice of movies to watch), I've never actually looked into donating bone marrow so I just checked out their site - www.marrow.org

Here's more info about Marrow transplants:

"What is a marrow or blood cell transplant?

A marrow or blood cell transplant is a potentially life-saving treatment for patients with leukemia, lymphoma, and other blood diseases. A transplant replaces a patient's unhealthy blood cells with healthy blood-forming cells from a volunteer donor. Patients who do not have a matched donor in their family may search the NMDP donor Registry for a donor. The three sources of blood-forming cells are marrow, blood-forming cells collected from the blood (called a PBSC donation) and umbilical cord blood.

How are patients matched with donors?

Blood samples from adult donors or cord blood units are tested, and the tissue type is added to the NMDP Registry. Doctors can search this Registry when they need to find a donor whose tissue type matches their patient's.

How does a person's race or ethnicity affect matching?

Because tissue type is inherited, patients are most likely to match someone of their same race and ethnicity. There is a special need to recruit more donors who identify themselves as: Black or African American, American Indian or Alaska Native, Asian, Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander, Hispanic or Latino.

How are blood-forming cells collected?

Marrow donation is a surgical procedure performed in a hospital. While the donor receives anesthesia, doctors use special, hollow needles to withdraw liquid marrow from the donor's pelvic bones. Many donors receive a transfusion of their own previously donated blood. A donor's marrow is completely replaced within four to six weeks.

PBSC donation takes place at an apheresis center. To increase the number of blood-forming cells in the bloodstream, donors receive daily injections of a drug called filgrastim for five days before the collection. The donor's blood is then removed through a sterile needle in one arm, passed through a machine that separates out the cells used in transplantation, and the remaining blood is returned through the other arm.

Cord blood is collected from the umbilical cord after a baby's birth. The cord blood is taken to a cord blood bank where it is tested. Cord blood units that meet eligibility standards are frozen and stored for future use. The collection does not pose any health risk to the mother or baby, and does not affect the birth process in any way.

Does donating hurt? What are the side effects?

Marrow donors can expect to feel some soreness in their lower back for a few days or longer. Donors also have reported feeling tired and having some difficulty walking. Most donors are back to their usual routine in a few days. Some may take two to three weeks before they feel completely recovered.

PBSC donors report varying symptoms including headache, bone or muscle pain, nausea, insomnia and fatigue while receiving injections of filgrastim. These effects disappear shortly after collection. During the collection, donors may experience a tingling feeling or chills. These effects go away shortly after donating. When asked about their discomfort, most donors are quick to point out that it was worth it to help save a life, and they would be willing to do it again."

 

I just signed up! Who wants to join me? LA Marrow Meet?

 

Brotha Sherwin, stay strong!!! You are in my prayers. See you soon.

 

I'm doen for this you know it...Let me know when, gotta help a brotha out. Who's next? Don't make me come to your homes and get all of yooz

 

Put me on the list.

 

Awesome!

Make sure you email Jenny to tell her that you're interested:

jenwong49@hotmail.com

Thanks, guys!

 

if any of you are interested in donating or proceeding to see if you're a match please contact jenny directly at her email address as webdiva has mentioned. Thanks 'diva for the summary and info on the thread and to everyone else who has sent their kinds words and concern. feel free to post any messages here and i will definately make sure it gets to sherwin! his family and closest friends greatly appreciate all the support throughout these trying times. they cannot say enough to thank all of you.

if you do not know sherwin, he's the man behind www.brakezone.com and the infamous wilwood BBK for the s2k's and many other applications. he's a very proud guy that wouldn't want to make a big deal out of the smallest thing to even something as large as this. his personality has humbled me greatly and i can only try to give back from what i have taken from him. we all love you sherwin and know you can pull through this.