Increasing the number of minority registrants in the National Marrow Donor Program. Savings lives and being heroes! Spreading the word about how easy it is register. Informing people about the facts and myths of being a potential donor.
Music
Movies
Television
Books
Heroes
Everyone who has registered to be a potential donor! I am incredibly blessed and touched by all of the support and love that has been coming in. My amazing team has been keeping me up to date with your efforts, and I cannot put in words how grateful I am for all of the energy behind getting people registered. It’s amazing how we can make a huge difference together–not only for myself, but for all the patients that are searching for another chance at life. I thank you all so much from the bottom of my heart.
-Michelle
!!! Start Code To Apply Top Banner !!!!
Custom top banner code by Eileen!!! End Code To Apply Top Banner !!!
University Of California-Berkeley
Berkeley,CA
Graduated: 2004
Student status: Alumni
Degree: Bachelor's Degree
Major: Business Administration and Political Economy
2000 to 2004
Project Michelle needs your help! Be the one to save Michelle! view more
Michelle is 26 years old and a recent graduate from UC Berkeley. She was a healthy and happy daughter, sister, and friend until she was unexpectedly diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a cancer of the blood, in February 2007. Michelle has been bravely fighting for her life for over a year, and now her only possible cure is a bone marrow transplant from a matching donor. Michelle is of Vietnamese-Chinese descent and her match will most likely be from someone of similar ethnicity, but there is a critical shortage of ethnic minorities in the database. Michelle is determined to win her battle with leukemia, but she now needs the generosity of others to succeed.
Please help Michelle fight this battle! She urgently needs your help. Please learn more about the process and register to be a potential bone marrow donor. You could be the one that saves her life.
HOW TO GET REGISTERED: Registering to be a potential bone marrow donor is quick, easy, free and painless! It just requires a simple cheek swab, paperwork, and 10 minutes of your time. If you are actually a match, the donation process is VERY similar to giving blood.
1. ATTEND A DRIVE OR DONOR CENTER NEAR YOU - View the calendar HERE to see all upcoming Bone Marrow drives in your area!
2. ORDER A HOME KIT - If you are a minority in the US and cannot attend a drive, you can order a FREE home test kit HERE
If you are already registered, please consider:
- setting up or volunteering at a drive (LINK)
- making sure your contact info is current (LINK)
- helping to spread the word about Project Michelle! (LINK)
Myths & Facts about Bone Marrow Donation
Learn the facts about bone marrow donation to help you make an informed decision about joining the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) Registry. MYTH:
The bone marrow donation procedure is painful. FACT:
General or regional anesthesia is always used for this procedure. Donors feel no needle injections and no pain during marrow donation.
MYTH:
All bone marrow donations involve surgery. FACT:
The majority of donations do not involve surgery. The patient's doctor most commonly requests a peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) donation, which is non-surgical and outpatient. If marrow is requested, it is a surgical procedure, usually outpatient. MYTH:
Pieces of bone are removed from the donor. FACT:
Pieces of bone are not removed from the donor in either type of donation.
A PBSC donation involves taking the drug filgrastim for five days leading up to donation in order to increase the donor's needed blood-forming cells. On the fifth day, blood is taken from the donor through one arm, passed through a machine that separates out the blood-forming cells, and returned through the donor's other arm.
In marrow donation, no pieces of bone are taken; only the liquid marrow found inside the bones is needed to save the patient's life. MYTH:
Donating bone marrow is dangerous and weakens the donor. FACT:
Though no medical procedure is without risk, there are rarely any long-term effects from donating. Only five percent or less of a donor's marrow is needed to save a life. After donation, the body replaces the donated marrow within four to six weeks.
The NMDP screens all donors carefully before they donate to ensure they are healthy and the procedure is safe for them. The NMDP also educates donors, answers questions every step of the way and follows up with donors after donation.
MYTH:
Bone marrow donation involves a lengthy recovery process. FACT:
Due to taking the drug filgrastim, PBSC donors may have symptoms such as headache, bone or muscle pain, nausea, insomnia or fatigue in the five days leading up to donation. These symptoms nearly always disappear one or two days after donating, and the donor is back to normal.
Marrow donors can expect to feel fatigue, some soreness or pressure in their lower back and perhaps some discomfort walking. Marrow donors can expect to be back to work, school and other activities within one to seven days. The average time for all symptoms to disappear is 21 days. MYTH:
Donors have to pay for the donation procedure. FACT:
Donors never pay for donating. All medical costs are paid by the patient's medical insurance or by the patient, sometimes with NMDP assistance. The NMDP reimburses donors for travel costs, and may reimburse other costs on a case-by-case basis.
Who I'd like to meet: Michelle urgently needs your help in giving her a new chance at life. Donating marrow can be as simple as donating blood: a simple, outpatient procedure. It’s the easiest and most profound way to save a life. With no help from anyone but God, once transplanted, your own cells flourish and grow inside the patient’s body and replace his or her sick cells with your healthy ones. It truly is a miracle and a testament to what we, as humans, are capable of.transplant.
*Phew* Glad to be back. I would hate to think you guys though I was pissed off somehow... michelee's a hero and DJs and stations love and play "Be Free", and it gives me the oppertunity to talk about her and aadp.org on the air...
Hey guys! Did you hear me on the radio on Friday? WTF am I doing getting ait-time in Scotland???hahaha If you missed it, DJ Smithy gave Michelle a shout-out and then played "Be Free" Pretty cool of him to do that.
Pac 10 kicked ass in Bowl games this year. My family is from Michigan, so shame, shame....the Bid 10 did not fair so well. But there's always next year. And next year you guys will be watching a game on the CAL sidelines; thanks to thier Athletic Dept. I hope to see you before then, but happy 2009!
HI.MICHELLE, THIS IS JACK OR I MEAN KHANG. HOWS'LIKE EVERYTHING??? WOW!! IT'S BEEN SUCH A LONG-LONG, TIME SINCE I'VE SEEN YOU OR ANYONE...OR VAN EVEN-I HOPE YOU GUY'S ARE DOING,GREAT N ALL THING'S ARE WORKING OUT 4 YOU.. AS OVER HERE THING'S ARE OK. I'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT BUT YOU KNOW IN THE END-IT'WAS ALL WORTH IT SO YEAH!!!...TO ME, THINGS HAPPEN FOR A REASON N I'VE BEEN HAVING ALOT OF GOOD THING'S HAPPEN- N SOME BAD, BUT IVE BEEN STAYING HUMBLEBUT POSITIVE THROUGH OUT THE ENTIRE TRIP THROUGH LIFE- N STILL GOING THROUGH SOME THING'S. AS OF RIGHT NOW, IM WORKING FOR USANA WHICH HAS BEEN BY FAR THE GREATEST THING'IVE DONE.YET. N IT'S GREAT B/C THEY DONT PRE-JUDGE YOU OR ANYTHNG. THEY DONT ASK FOR MUCH,ONLY FOR YOU'RE HEART. YOU'RE DETERMINATION. EAGER TO LISTEN N BECOME SUCCESSFUL BUT ALSO-TO BE YOURSELF.
HI..PROJECT MICHELLE!! THIS IS JACK AKA LE^KHANG.. ANYWAYS' I JUST WAS ON PASSING THROUGH-TO SAY HELLO.! BUT ALSO TO LET YOU GUY'S KNOW, THAT I AM DOING A HUGE HUGE THING FOR MICHELLE'BY WORKING ON MY OWN DREAM'S NOT FOR SOMEBODY' ELSES N THE THING IS I'VE JOINED UP WITH-USANA FOR A GREAT POSITIVE REASON IN MY LIFE, NOW I'VE BEEN THROUGH A LOT GROWING UP PARENT'S DIDNT REALLY UNDERSTAND MY LIFE SITUATION AS MUCH SO I HAD TO TURN TO BAD THINGS;TO RESOLVE THEM WHICH- DIDNT REALLY GET ME ANYWHERE FOR THE REMAINDER HALF OF MY JUNIOR HIGH SCHOOL YEAR.. N I'VE NOW,BEGAN A NEW LIFE.. WITH USANA..PEOPLE WOW, HAS IT CHANGED ME FOR BETTER, BUT NOT ONLY FOR THE WISHES TO BECOME SUCCESSFUL AS WELL,AS MAYBE HELP PREVENT DEGENERATIVE DISEASES... N IN SOME WAY'S I KNOWI AM DOING GOOD EVEN IF PEOPLE RUN THEY'RE FAUCET LIKE CRAZY... I KNOW ON MY BEHALF..N MICHELLE'S BEHALF SHE WE'LL ONE DAY BECOME HERSELF AGAIN N BECOME WELL WITH HEALTH N OVERALL HER WELLNESS.. BECAUSE WHY, I AM IN THE HEALTH N WELLNESS BUSINESS- N I WANT TO DO GOOD FOR MANY PEOPLE IN THE FUTURE,I SEEK THE CHANGE I AM WISHING 2 BECOME,LATER ON. IN THE WORLD'OF MAYBE FREE FROM PAIN& DEGERNATIVE DISEASES.. SO, WITH THAT BEING SAID.. ON USANA'S BEHALF-N MY TEAM LEGACY GET WELL SOON, MICHELLE.
hi!!Michelle..... ^_^ :D this is jack!? or Khang. now's i changed my name to khang recently; at the dmv.. anywho's wow..it's been such a long long time, coming.. hows everything going??? i hope all you're cancer thing has gotten better,&that now since ive been working for the health&welness industry- i am working toward's my main goal's n dreams 2 make you're life better n my family so yeah.. let's just say, ive been through- a lot growing up so now a really really really good friend of almost 7years gave me a new chance at life, but i got right with jesus n buddha they gave me a new hope-n foundation to become a new person n so now im giving back 2 other's...what i'm doing for the community later on you'll see me become a success through all thing's im not living the life0 ive once used to live... my old self when you first saw me has died..now, im all about health&wellness as wel as create wealth..but live life,love to learn to get along with people- n tell the world there is more life,rather than working for somebody elses..dreams, when you create yours u know.
Played "Be Free" tonight in honor of Khanh and in support for you. I had some stuff for you, I put it in the hands of aadp. org reps...you should get it by this weekend, I think. A lot of people turned out and a lot of diiferent people from different backgrounds came together to help.
"Be Free" had radio airplay in Chicago this morning, and the DJ did me the favor of mentioning aadp. org. Saturday I will have a live interview @11am, your page and cause will be the subject. -Jeff Hinkin-
