Archive for the ‘Your Community’ Category
Bone Marrow Registry – How to Become a Donor
January 4th, 2010 | 
Author: by Rachel Paxton
It used to be if you wanted to become a bone marrow donor, you had to have a surgical procedure done to remove the bone marrow for the recipient.
Not anymore! More than 90% of donations today are done through the blood system. No surgery, and no pain.
To become a possible bone marrow donor, all you have to do is go to the Be the Match Registry. Fill out the registration form, and they will send you a cheek swab kit in the mail. After they receive your kit back they will put your name on the registry if you are determined to be a good candidate.
A bone marrow match is much more complex than a regular blood donor match. The tissues have to match exactly, which means that you only have an approximately 1 in 4,000 chance of actually becoming a donor.
Joining this registry will help someone who is in need of a bone marrow transplant. It could save their life. My brother-in-law donated his bone marrow to a 2-yr-old boy, and the transplant saved the boy’s life. The boy is now 8 years old.
This subject is near and dear to my heart…my mother passed away last year from complications resulting from leukemia. Her illness showed me how important it is for people to take the time to share their blood, platelets, and bone marrow with others. If can make the difference between life and death.
Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of five. For resources for the Christian family, including parenting, toddler and preschool activities, homeschooling, family traditions, and more, visit http://www.Christian-Parent.com
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World Vision: Changing the World One Child at a Time
For almost six years now, our family has been sponsoring a boy who lives in the village of Makungwa in Zambia, Africa. We met young Mathews through World Vision, when our church decided to adopt the entire Makungwa area that became known as the Makungwa Area Development Program.
World Vision, like Compassion International, is an organization through which you can sponsor a child who lives in a third world country.
Through World Vision, more than 4,000 children in the Makungwa area have been sponsored to date. Our church received information and photos for many children from the village. My husband fell in love with a little boy who shares his same birthday month. At the time little Mathews was only two years old.
During the past six years we have received a lot of information about our child and his village. Every year we receive an annual progress report for the village and we also receive occasional updates about our child along with current photos of him.
Because our child is too young to write his own letters, he has someone help him write down his thoughts. In one letter he told us that he has a cow and that he likes to play football.
Mathews has two brothers and one sister and lives with relatives who are peasant farmers. His family grows groundnuts, maize, and cotton. He loves the taste of fresh groundnuts.
In the past several years much has been done to improve the living conditions in the Makungwa village. Children have been vaccinated against preventable diseases, key members of the community have been trained in HIV/AIDS prevention, care, and advocacy, and people living with HIV/AIDS and other chronically ill patients have been assisted with basic needs.
Because of World Vision, the children and all the families of the Makungwa community are now engaged in active and productive lives. Even people who are HIV positive are now able to lead productive lives due to treatment they have received. Because more parents are working, more children can now go to school and even spend time playing with friends instead of taking care of their sick parents. Children go to Sunday School and have Bibles to read.
It makes our family very happy to know that we are making a difference in the world. Even during tough financial times, it is rewarding to sacrifice in order to help others. The last letter we received from Makungwa through World Vision stated “As you give, my prayer is that God’s grace shall continue to abound toward you in all sufficiency (2 Corinthians 9:7,8)”.
Rachel Paxton is a freelance writer and mom of five. For resources for the Christian family, including parenting, toddler and preschool activities, homeschooling, family traditions, and more, visit http://www.Christian-Parent.com