Bone Marrow Drive for Sinai Patient To Be Held Saturday

A swab of your cheek may be the ticket to saving a young boy's life.

Harry Friner, age 3, needs a bone marrow transplant in order to survive AML, a rare type of leukemia. Harry was diagnosed a year ago and his cancer recurred in the fall. The photo above was taken of Harry and his father Richard at the Division of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology at Sinai Hospital.

A bone marrow drive in Harry's honor will be held from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday, February 5 at Trinity Church, 2907 Mountain Road, Joppa, MD 21085. All are invited to attend - check out the health and age requirements to see if you are eligible to join the Be the Match registry. If you do not meet the health or age requirements, you can also sponsor somebody who does meet them or make a donation. Frequently Asked Questions about joining the registry are answered here.

Joseph Wiley, M.D., Chief of the Herman & Walter Samuelson Children's Hospital at Sinai, was a guest on ABC's Good Morning Maryland on Monday to talk about registering and why it's important. He was joined by Harry's 7-year-old sister, Ella. Click here to see the interview.

-Elizabeth Leis-Newman

Thanks to Race for Our Kids Participants!

Thank you to those who participated in the Race for Our Kids! More than 900 runners and walkers, including the adorable Cubs fans on the right, didn't let a little bit of rain stop them as they joined the 1-mile Family Fun Walk, the 5K and the 10K.

Race for Our Kids raised over $120,000. Funds benefits the Division of Pediatric Oncology at the Herman & Walter Samuelson Children's Hospital at Sinai. Click on the video below to hear Joseph Wiley, M.D., chief of the Children's Hospital, discuss how the money raised benefits families and services. At left you can see Dr. Wiley, Sinai President Neil Meltzer and Race Chair Andrew Levine presenting the check.

There are many runners and walkers who participate every year, LifeBridge Health special events manager Jen Doyle says.

"We've seen a lot of families honor their children who were treated at Sinai by participating in the race," she says. "We are always thrilled when we get such a great turnout, and we are grateful for the ton of volunteers who helped out."

In the video below you can hear Laura Reames talk about the treatment her son Ethan received at Sinai. Ethan is now 4.

The top three finishers in this year's 5k were Tyler Gray, age 14, Jeffrey Wyatt II, age 15, and Blake Valente, age 26. The top three finishers in the 10K were Andy Biladeau, age 23, David Berdan, age 29, and Michael Wardian, age 36. You can see complete race results here.

The top team in fundraising was the Roland Park Elementary and Middle School running in honor of Cara Collins. RPEMS Buddies for Cara raised $5,005!