In the span of two weeks, more than 1,000 people hoping to become bone marrow donors for one of our congregants have swabbed their cheeks with the Gift of Life organization.

This story began last winter when our clergy learned that longtime member Wendy Siegel was ill with leukemia. Since then, despite numerous medical treatments, Wendy’s health has declined and sadly, she is in urgent need of a bone marrow donor for a life-saving transplant.

Yet, finding a bone marrow match is rare. No one in Wendy’s family, nor the worldwide registry of donors, is a match. Upon learning this, Central Synagogue sprung into action.

It was clear that more donors, particularly between ages 18 - 35, needed to enter the registry (a simple cheek swab). So began an urgent campaign aimed at the entire Synagogue membership. Those who were ineligible to become donors themselves were encouraged to volunteer at the drives and to help spread the word. Indeed, they did.

In addition to the dedicated core group of congregants who organized and staffed three on site bone marrow drives, other members hosted drives at their places of work, and children of members hosted drives on their college campuses.

To date, 1,004 new donors have been entered into the worldwide registry (668 at Central Synagogue, 156 at University of Pennsylvania and 180 at NYU), with more drives planned at nearby temples and schools.

“I have witnessed firsthand the extraordinary community that Central Synagogue has created,” said Ruth Miller, special projects coordinator at Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation. “My wish is that we all celebrate with the Siegels after Wendy receives her miracle match.”

The process to become a bone marrow donor is simple: a cheek swab and a consent form. Both take less than ten minutes and are completely painless. For more information or to order a kit that can be mailed to your college student or out-of-town friend, visit the Gift of Life online.

Read an update about Wendy Siegel.