Celebrating 25 Years Saving Lives

“How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world.” – Anne Frank

Dear Friends,

This year marks the 25th Anniversary of The Icla da Silva Foundation. For 25 years we have worked tirelessly to save the lives of patients with leukemia and other diseases treatable with bone marrow transplant.

The Icla da Silva Foundation was founded in memory of my younger sister Icla. Our family moved to New York from Brazil after Icla’s diagnosis with leukemia because the doctors told us it would be impossible to find a life-saving bone marrow match in Brazil due to a lack of a registry in the country. There is only a 25% chance a sibling will be a match, however neither myself nor my brother were. Our family began to enlist our new community in New York in an effort to add more bone marrow donors to the National Marrow Donor Program’s registry (now the Be the Match registry). We went to churches, community centers, and schools, all hoping that one special person might be my sister’s cure. Sadly, Icla passed away in New York City, never having found a matching donor.

In a note found after her passing, Icla wrote: “Dear Mom, I’m fine. Don’t worry about me. I want you to help all of my friends.” Icla’s last brave wishes were to help people in need of bone marrow transplants, and thus the Icla da Silva Foundation was established.

When my sister passed away on June 21, 1991, she was only 13 years old. This year, as we celebrate 25 years in service to patients in need of a bone marrow transplant, it is hard to wrap my head around the reality that this organization, her namesake, has existed almost twice as long as she did on this Earth.  It is a testament to her heart and her vision that we stand here today.
The Icla da Silva Foundation exists to support patients by recruiting bone marrow donors, raising funds and assisting with financial and emotional support.  We also help patients navigate the medical system and make referrals to various treatment centers depending on the specific needs of each patient.

I am very proud that the Icla da Silva Foundation is the largest recruitment partner for the Be the Match registry, recruiting over 38,000 potential bone marrow donors every year.  Recognizing the importance of genetics and ancestry in finding a compatible donor match, we organize drives with a specific mission of adding donors from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Despite our successes, our mission isn’t done. There are 13,000 people who need a bone marrow transplant in the US every year, 75% of whom won’t find a match in their family, and the sad reality is that many thousands will pass without ever finding their match.

I wanted to take this opportunity to thank our friends, our supporters and the many volunteers who dedicate an average of 3,000 hours every year to saving lives.  This year, we celebrate you for your support in ensuring that we raise the critical funds necessary for advancing our mission, allowing us to continue in our fight against blood cancers and other diseases that can only be cured by a bone marrow transplant.  Without you, our life-saving work would not be possible. We are happy to commemorate Icla and remember her positive spirit that continues to inspire us to make a difference in other people’s lives.

Your friend,

Airam da Silva
President
The Icla da Silva Foundation

PS: To learn more about how you can become involved with The Icla da Silva Foundation, please visit our Get Involved page and add us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.