How You Can Help
The video, which includes a sequence of shots showing ABMDR’s life-saving work, features Tankian making a personal appeal to join the ranks of the registry.
Click Here to Watch Full Video
Every year, thousands of patients are diagnosed with leukemia and other life-threatening blood diseases. On any given day, more than 6,000 patients worldwide are searching for a donor. Only 25-30% of patients stricken with leukemia and other blood-related diseases can find a match within their family; the other 70-75% of patients depend on the stem cell donation of a complete stranger to save their lives. Recent advances in transplantation technology, involving the use of peripheral blood stem cell (PBSC) collection — a safe and non-invasive way of collecting life-saving stem cells from a donor — have given patients hope and saved thousands of lives.
1. Be a donor. Finding a match depends on inherited characteristics. Therefore, a patient’s best chance, outside of his/her family, is a donor from the same ethnic ancestry. Unfortunately thousands of patients die each year because they are not able to find a match. When you register to become a donor, you may be the ONE who marches a patient and saves a life. Click here to learn more about the process.
Download Our Presentation On Frequently Asked Questions
2. Help us raise funds. We tissue-type our donor samples as we receive them, but are always limited by funds to pay for the purchase of typing reagents. A donation of $50 will cover the initial costs of typing one sample, and may reveal the very donor who may save a patient’s life. You can make a donation yourself, or organize a fundraising event, a holiday party, birthday celebration, family gathering, weddings, or business parties, and forego presents in favor of a donation to ABMDR. In-lieu-of-flowers donations are also a good way to honor a loved one and help save lives.
Your contribution is tax-deductible. ABMDR is a 501(c)3 non-profit organization.
3. Partner with us. If you are involved in an organization, you can help us expand our outreach efforts, reach many in your existing network, gather more donors, raise more funds, and raise awareness about the importance of the registry. There are thousands of Armenian organizations worldwide. Whether charitable, political, educational, or social, their members all have one thing in common: Armenian genes — the determining factor for finding a match and saving a life. The more organizations we connect with, the more chances we have to find a match for the hundreds of families who are awaiting that special “angel.” Contact us, and ABMDR will work with you to have an educational lecture presented to your membership, or to coordinate a recruitment drive.
4. Volunteer. Does this interest you? Are you ready to help? ABMDR is a non-profit organization run by unpaid volunteers. Each person has his/her own unique talents and strengths. ABMDR is fortunate to have a number of talented individuals as dedicated volunteers. These are the educators who visit schools and organizations to explain the process and answer your questions, the professionals who perform recruitments, the nurses and doctors who draw your blood when further testing is necessary, the business men and women who organize fundraising events such as banquets, golf tournaments, wine-tasting events, and casino nights, the comedians who donate their services for our annual Comedy Night, and the young students who spread the word within their own schools and universities to take part in our Walk of Life walkathons. Since our work includes educating and recruiting in Armenian communities across the globe, we need volunteers in as many communities as possible. Help ABMDR continue reaching out to all Armenians worldwide by sharing your time and talents with us. We have volunteer opportunities for all ages and careers. If you are interested in volunteering with ABMDR, please contact us.