MORRISTOWN - United Way of Morris County will hold a bone marrow drive from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 5 at the home of Ayo Sanderson Wilson and Mark Wilson at 7 Manor Drive.

The drive seeks a donor for Jennifer Jones Austin, a senior vice president of Community Investment at United Way of New York City, is currently fighting for her life after being diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

Contact: Ayo Sanderson, 973-868-5728 or .

AML is a very serious disease, but one that can be controlled or even cured if a patient is given the right treatment – usually a bone marrow transplant.

If AML goes untreated, the chances of survival are very slim.   

Austin is 41, a wife, and the mother of two children ages 12 and 7.  A fierce advocate for children and families, she has dedicated herself for nearly 20 years professionally as a lawyer and personally through board service and civic activities to help improve the lives of lower-income and disadvantaged children and their families. 

To help Austin, or others in this critical situation, please register and encourage others to register as bone marrow donors.  Registering is simple; potential donors can either attend one of the drives listed below or go online to the National Marrow Donor Program – called Be the Match – at http://join.marrow.org/JJA1068 and have a testing kit sent to their home, where they can swab their own cheek and send it in for processing.  Home testing kits are free for those individuals of ethnicities underrepresented in the registry. If someone is a match, medical advances have made bone marrow donation simple and noninvasive.  It is normally as simple as giving blood – no longer requiring an invasive surgical procedure. 

United Way of Morris County is trying to help Austin and others in her situation by raising awareness about this condition, promoting how easy it can be to save a life, and encouraging community members to get tested and join the national registry.  The Registry is in great need of registered donors, especially those of African and Hispanic descent.  Recent statistical research indicates that there are more than 5 million Caucasian registrants and only about 500K registrants of African descent.  This disparity seriously impairs the ability to match ethnic individuals with a donor.  Austin is African American; the need for more registered donors of African descent is even more critical for her survival. 

For questions about the National Marrow Donor Program – Be the Match – contact Airam da Silva, President of the Icla da Silva Foundation, a recruitment center for the Be The Match Registry, who is organizing the donation events listed below.  Da Silva can be reached via email or at his office 212-593-0474.