4 FEBRUARY 18, 2021 RIDGEWOOD TIMES WWW.QNS.COM
Mets team up with NYBC to expand fan blood drive
blood for the 20th time, but also
joined Be The Match, a bone marrow
registry.
“I think it is important to be there
for another and do what we can to
take care of each other,” she said.
Jair Thompson, the supervisor
of recruitment for the New York
Blood Center and whose organization
Be The Match has an office at
the center, explained that attending
blood drives is a way to find donors
to join the bone marrow registry,
which currently only has 22 million
members nationwide.
He continued to explain that there
is a dire need for people to join the
registry, especially African Americans,
who make up only 4 percent
of the network, while Hispanics
and Asians make up 10 percent and
5 percent, respectively.
“The need is more diversity. So
when we come to drives like this,
it’s pretty much people in the community
from all races we recruit,”
he said. “The majority of people who
are on the registry are European
white. They make up 77 percent. So
a white person will find a transplant
much quicker than someone diverse.
It is my job to come out to locations,
colleges, city agencies, everywhere
and try to get people to register.”
Currently, he’s working on a campaign
to find a matching donor for
a 20-year-old patient with aplastic
anemia.
“What happens ultimately is that
he’ll pass away if he can’t find a
matching donor,” Thompson said.
Joining the Be The Match registry
is quite simple. Using a QR code and
her cellphone, Judith Rollhaus created
an account with the network
and answered questions about her
medical history. She then swabbed
her cheeks for a DNA sample with
swabs from a kit provided by Be The
Match.
If you are between the ages of 18 to
44 and want to save a life, you can join
the registry at www.bethematch.org.
The New York Blood Center urges
donors to make an appointment by
visiting nybloodcenter.org.
From Feb. 1 to Feb. 28, blood donors
also can get a free COVID-19 antibody
test at any of NYBC’s 18 fixed donor
centers and all mobile drives in New
York and New Jersey. The center is
also asking for convalescent plasma
donations from those who have recovered
from COVID-19 to increase
the plasma supply.
BY GABRIELE HOLTERMANN
EDITORIAL@QNS.COM
@QNS
Five weeks aft er their semi-annual
blood drive in January, the New
York Blood Center and the New
York Met hosted a second Mets Fan
Blood Drive on Thursday, Feb. 11,
at 10 locations across Queens and
Brooklyn.
The blood supply was already
critically low due to the COVID-19
pandemic, but it took another hit
because of the recent snowstorms.
The New York Blood Bank’s supply
has dropped to 1,500 units of blood,
and the organization urges New
Yorkers to donate blood, especially
O-blood donors.
The Shops at Atlas Park in Glendale
saw a moderate turnout of donors
who received a voucher for a
pair of tickets to see the Mets, a free
limited-edition fan T-shirt, and an
entry into a sweepstakes for signed
memorabilia.
Greg Bolanos from Forest Hills,
who donated for the second time,
wanted to do his part to help out and
plans on donating blood regularly.
“There is a need with the global
pandemic. I think if you can help
people out, why not?” he said.
Judith Rollhaus not only donated The NYCB and the Mets hosted a blood drive on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2021. Photos by Gabriele Holtermann
Ridgewood
Property Owners
& Civic Association
www.facebook.com/RPOCA.NYC
“After 89 years of community service we’re still
building a reputation, not resting on one!”
General Membership Meeting
Thursday March 4th at 7:00 pm
VIRTUAL MEETING
Sign up at HTTPS://zoom.us/join
Meeting ID 89997249695
Passcode 248070
AGENDA
NYC Council Member Robert Holden
New - Ridgewood Capital Items
Upcoming June Primaries
ZOOM MEETINGS Are Safe
If you haven't used zoom before and need assistance email
ridgewoodownersny@gmail.com or call Angie at 646 420 7282
before 7:00 pm
For Further Info Call Paul
Property owners in Ridgewood are always welcome to submit
a membership application, subject to RPOCA Board approval.
For Information Call Paul Kerzner, Counsel 718 381 3366
/www.bethematch.org
link
/RPOCA.NYC
/join
link
/WWW.QNS.COM
/www.bethematch.org
/nybloodcenter.org
/RPOCA.NYC
/join
link
link
