FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HELP SAVE BABY QUINLAN!
20-month-old Colonial Heights child needs community’s help to fight leukemia

(Colonial Heights, VA – July 24, 2012) – Quinlan Thomas was a healthy, energetic boy and the greatest joy for his family. There was no reason to suspect that the strange bruises might be anything serious, but a trip to the doctor brought horrible news: Quinlan has Acute Myeloid Leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant to survive.

Quinlan’s family and friends know that a matching donor can save his life, and now they are asking their community for help in finding that match. On August 11th, a bone marrow donor drive will be held to support Quinlan and others with blood cancer. The public can register as a bone marrow donor by doing a simple cheek swab, and they could be matched to Quinlan or any other patient in need.

Says Quinlan’s mother Caroline, “To see Quinlan is to smile. He’s the love of our lives and he can do so much on his own, but he can’t beat his leukemia alone. We need others to register, so we can find a hero for him.”

REGISTER AS A BONE MARROW DONOR
Saturday, August 11, 2012,
10:00 AM - 4:00 PM
Colonial Heights Optimist Club
916 Meridian Avenue
Colonial Heights, VA

Registering to become a bone marrow donor is more than a cheek swab; it is a commitment to help save a life. You must be between 18 and 55 and in good general health. When you register with DKMS, you can be found as a donor match for any patient in need of a bone marrow transplant.

Registering one potential bone marrow donor costs DKMS $65. Because DKMS does not require new donors to pay the registration fee and does not receive government funding, DKMS must rely on donations from the general public to fund donor registrations. 100% of your financial contribution is used to register new potential donors. Every dollar counts!

About DKMS

Our mission is to lead the fight to defeat blood cancer by empowering people to take action, give bone marrow and save lives. We are the world's largest bone marrow donor center, with over 3.6 million registered donors. More than 31,000 of our donors have helped save lives by donating their bone marrow.

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 www.getswabbed.org

Contact: Christian Montgomery – (917) 273-2440 or Christian@dkmsamericas.org