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

Leukemia Specialist Answers Questions at Town Hall

Nearly 2,000 Maryland residents will be diagnosed with a blood cancer this year, and new cases are on the rise.

To address the latest treatment advances and other important topics related to this disease, Stephen J. Noga, M.D., Ph.D., a LifeBridge Health cancer specialist, a group of additional health care professionals, patients and other community Baltimore area members are holding a town meeting. This free event is being held on Tuesday, October 6, at 6:30 p.m. at the Hotel Monaco Baltimore.

An overview of blood cancers will be discussed, with a focus on two common types of blood cancers – non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma (NHL) and chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL).

“As an oncologist practicing in Baltimore for many years, I have seen exciting treatment advances,” says Dr. Noga, director of Medical Oncology/Hematology at the Alvin & Lois Lapidus Cancer Institute programs at Sinai and Northwest hospitals. “I think a town hall is a wonderful way to share the latest information, as well as my knowledge, with the community to help improve patient care.”

This year in the United States, nearly 66,000 people, including 1,120 in Maryland, will be diagnosed with NHL, the fifth most common cancer among American men and women.

In addition, more than 15,000 people, including 640 in Maryland will be diagnosed with CLL – the most common adult leukemia – and about 640 Maryland residents will be diagnosed with leukemia.

Unfortunately, leukemia has been in the headlines in the past few weeks. Beyonce Knowles reduced her audience to tears after paying a touching tribute to a young girl with leukemia during her stage show in Sydney, Australia. Leukemia also took a toll when Mary Travers, of the folk singing group- Peter, Paul and Mary- died September 16.

The October 6 town meeting is being sponsored by Cephalon Oncology.