Expanding Opportunity in Greenfield

Less than three days. That’s how long I will have to wait until the word “deflategate” slowly starts to disappear from my newsfeeds. I was born, raised, and grown in Massachusetts and I still don’t really care about the New England Patriots. (I’m more of a basketball girl. GO SYRACUSE!) No, I don’t find Tom attractive, and honestly, I actually think he seems like a whiner. I’m no ESPN sports broadcaster, but I prefer to see a QB who has the agility and athleticism to make creative plays off the cuff, instead of the usual throw or tuck.

But all snark aside, I wrote this first post as some sort of an appeal.

What I do appreciate about the Patriots is the generosity of the Kraft family and the team. I will personally benefit from their generosity this year when I check in at the Kraft Family Blood Donor Center at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute to harvest and donate STEM cells to help save my brother’s life. This state of the art facility helps blood donors of all kinds feel at ease as they undergo blood withdrawals that may last anywhere from just 20 minutes all the way up to eight hours. The better the experience people have when they donate, the more likely they are to donate again or urge others to do so, too.

This Sunday, I’m not asking you to dump a bucket of ice water over your head. I’m asking you to make a five-minute time commitment. Visit BeTheMatch.org and join the bone marrow registry. (Heck, do it today. No need to wait until Sunday, right?) All you have to do is check off a few boxes and complete an online form. Once you receive your registration kit, just follow the instructions on the kit (swab your mouth) and mail it back for free. That’s it! Free and painless. You don’t even have to buy ice. However, I do urge you to take a selfie of your swabbing and share it to your Facebook page. #swabalicious

My family lucked out. We have a match. But thousands of people out there are still looking. 1 in 500 members of the registry actually donate, but you never know. It could be you that saves someone’s life.

JOIN THE REGISTRY