Kal Penn and Sunkrish Bala Support Vinay in bone marrow sear
Vinay Chakravarthy is a 28-year old South Asian male who was recently diagnosed with a rare form of Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML). He has less than 30 days to find a match. To survive, his only option is a bone marrow transplant. A match. A match that he needs fast. www.helpvinay.org
Today, a Caucasian seeking a match has a 1 in 2,000 chance. A South Asian: 1 (or 0) in 20,000. Moreover, 60% of South Asians in the registry are unwilling to donate their bone marrow once they are tagged as a match. This is the lowest response rate of any minority community. Because minorities are most likely to find a match within their respective communities, it is critical for South Asians not only to register, but to become committed bone marrow donors. Unfortunately, finding a match is extremely rare and even more so for South Asians.
But there is hope. If we mobilize.
In response to Vinay's diagnosis and extreme situation (www.helpvinay.org ), the South Asian American community has come together nationwide. The movement has gained powerful momentum, with more than 70 bone marrow drives organized and completed in more than 10 states across the country, and at least 70 more drives planned for the next 3 weeks. In less than 3 weeks, more than 5000 people have registered to become donors.
