New Hyde Park Memorial High School hosted its second annual Bone Marrow Registration Drive during their International Culture Club night on March 12.
The drive was held in memory of Sam Arikupurathu with the help of the school’s Red Cross Club and the South Asian Marrow Association of Recruiters, Inc. (SAMAR), a nonprofit organization that was established in 1992 with a goal to educate and recruit potential marrow/blood stem cell donors in order to add racially and ethnically diverse genetic typing to the registry.
The focus of the group is the South Asian community and other minority groups and people of multiracial backgrounds in hopes of increasing the chances for patients of finding a marrow/blood stem cell matchfor transplant.
Helping at the drive were the club’s advisor, Ms. Rafiq, its officers, and Dr. Ron Jacob, the medial director of SAMAR, and Sam’s sister, Tindu Arikupurathu.
Healthy individuals ages 18-44 were encouraged to register either before, during, or after the show. At the end of the night, a total of 34 new bone marrow donors were registered.
Editorial note: this article was written by New Hyde Park Memorial student Teena Thomas.
