Hillel begins bone marrow drive

Signs bearing the plea 'Please Save Our Dad' were scattered around campus yesterday afternoon, as the Bill Gold Drive for Life began the first of its two-day drive at the Hillel Foundation. Gold is a 1989 Wharton Healthcare Mangement graduate, who was diagnosed as having Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia last September. The only known cure for CML is a bone marrow transplant. To date, Gold has not succeeded in finding a suitable donor match his rare marrow type. Subsequently, the University community agreed to sponsor a donor screening to find a match for Gold. Yesterday's drive proved effective, with approximately 400 people showing up to be tested. Many people described the University community's reception of the drive as "amazing". "The response by the Penn community has been heartwarming and personal," said Kevin Schulman, a Medical Attendant at the Health Economics Research Unit and a friend of Gold. "It's nice to see so many people trying to help in such a selfless fashion." The drive received a lot of local attention yesterday from three local television stations covering the screening. Anchorman Dave Murphy of Channel 6 was tested on camera. "It's been overwhelming," said Susan Day, coordinator of the Hillel drive. "The phone has been ringing this whole week, as well as all morning." Even President Sheldon Hackney and his wife, Lucy, showed up to be tested, and entered into the marrow registry yesterday. "Penn has been very supportive," said Amy Barrett, Gold's sister-in-law. "We are hoping that everyone tested will tell people how easy it is, and will send friends on Monday." The testing process itself is virtually painless and effortless. Only two tablespoons of blood are needed to be entered into the National Marrow Registry. The total time involved, including paperwork, is 15 minutes. The blood extraction process itself is carried out by professional lab technicians and lasts approximately 30 seconds. "I felt kind of silly that I was making such a big deal out of it," said College Freshman Liz Fekete. "The whole process is really nothing at all." Faye Kasloff, mother-in-law of Gold and coordinator of the drive, explained that the Bill Gold Drive for Life has already received $200,000 in contributions to help with the cost of the screenings. An individual screening costs $75. The estimated cost of Sunday's screening at Hillel was $45,000. Drives in other cities are currently being planned. Martha Lubell, a coordinator of the Hillel drive, explained that although the most suitable candidates to match Gold are those of Eastern European Jewish descent, all people are welcome to come out to the drive, in order to be entered into the National Marrow registry. "Bill is receiving great emotional support from the fact that so many have already come out," Barrett said. "It only takes fifteen minutes, two tablespoons, and a heart of gold."

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