ELYSBURG - A special "Be the Match" bone marrow drive will be held Sunday to help an Elysburg resident possibly find a match to help fight her disease.
The drive will be held from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the Queen of the Most Holy Rosary Church, 599 W. Center St., to aid Cathy Dressler, a former Shamokin Area Community Hospital nurse who has been diagnosed with MDS Leukemia. Treatment requires a bone marrow transplant, but so far, Dresser has been unable to find a match.
A similar drive in March added 110 new people to the National Bone Marrow Registry, but no matches for Dressler.
To join the registry, a person needs to be between the ages of 18 and 60, be willing to donate to any person in need and meet health requirements.
The drive requires potential donors to fill out a form and have the inside of their cheek swabbed to collect DNA. Tests will be conducted on the swab samples to determine if the potential donor is a match for Dressler or another person.
In addition to the drive, a bake sale and special raffle will be held to raise funds for Bone Marrow Registry. Among the prizes to be given away will be a signed, numbered and framed David Armstrong print, entitled "Deer Tracks," donated by Robert and Sue Dressler; $50 in Knoebels Amusement Resort tickets, donated by Joe and Leanna Muscato; five large pizza coupons, donated by OIP, Elysburg; a $20 gift card to Masser's Restaurant, Paxinos; a $25 gift card to Olive Garden; a pasta and wine basket, donated by the Frank Zarko family; a gift basket from Classic Cuts and More; two Lia Sophia necklaces, the "Alpine" and "Caramelo," donated by consultant Ashley Hilkert; a handmade quilt and diaper bag, donated by Gail Roadarmel; a pumpkin pretzel assortment, donated by Crystal Ann's, and a $50 savings bond, donated by First Columbia Bank and Trust.
For more information or to make an online donation, go to www.bethematchfoundation.org/goto/Marrow_for_Cathy.