A few months ago, our beloved congregant Wendy Siegel inspired us to host a bone marrow drive, which yielded 1,000 new donors to the international bone marrow registry.

Wendy has been battling cancer for more than a year and has been in desperate need of a rare match. We were thrilled to learn that the drive held in Wendy’s honor, hosted by Gift of Life, yielded a match for an 8-month old boy suffering from Leukemia. To date, Gift of Life bone marrow drives held in Wendy’s honor have yielded more than 40 matches for other patients in need.

Today in Boston, it was finally Wendy’s turn to receive her own miracle transplant. The anonymous donor, although not a perfect match, also came from a Gift of Life drive.

With her family and Rabbi Rubinstein at her side, Wendy received a new Hebrew name, which means Journey. Her hospital room at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston, festively decorated for “a birthday party,” was a space for celebration and prayer as Rabbi Rubinstein led a blessing for the donor cells to bring Wendy strength and health.

Rabbi Rubinstein and the Siegel family are grateful for your support and continued prayers. Our thoughts remain with Wendy and all those patients still in need of donors. Support for Wendy has also been shared on Central Synagogue’s Facebook page.

To learn more about how to become a bone marrow donor, visit www.GiftOfLife.org.