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NEWS
Ezer Mitzion Collects 28,000 Blood Samples in One-Day
Drive
By Yechiel Sever
Gathering 28,000 blood samples in a single day, Ezer Mitzion
carried out the largest bone-marrow testing drive every held
in Israel or elsewhere. Every participant is currently being
entered into the organization's national blood-marrow
database, which now contains 300,000 blood samples for
genetic typing.
All of the 28,000 samples were sent to laboratories in Israel
and Ezer Mitzion expects to receive the initial results
within one month. Every blood test costs NIS 250 ($60) and
the price tag for the entire campaign comes to NIS 7 million
($1.7 million).
During the organizational phase of the campaign, Ezer Mitzion
made preparations to accommodate 20,000 donors, due to the
shortage of funds for a larger number. But following a
tremendous public response it was decided to stock the donor
stations with another 8,000 test tubes, which were specially
sent around the country. Ezer Mizion is now focusing on
fundraising to cover the campaign and to continue expanding
the bone-marrow donor pool.
Dr. Bracha Zisser, director of the organization's bone-marrow
pool, said this was an unprecedented number of donors for a
single day and will make it possible to save the lives of
numerous cancer patients anxiously awaiting the results of
the tests.
Ezer Mitzion Chairman Rabbi Chananya Chollak warmly thanked
the large number of people who came to give blood samples at
the donation sites. Rabbi Chollak, who was on hand at a
special donor drive held at Zeviehl Halls in Jerusalem, said,
"Hundreds of people waited patiently in the rain and the wind
to give blood samples and to respond to the calls of
gedolei Yisroel shlita to help save the lives of
cancer patients." To help fund the special campaign
contributions can be made through the telephone hotline at 1-
800-236-236.
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