“I love her and I don’t even know her.” It’s been six months since Kristel Rodriguez donated her bone marrow to a patient suffering from Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, but she still thinks about her every single day.  Kristel and her marrow mate have likely never met. She owes this patient nothing, but she has given[…]

by Alessandra Selgi-Harrigan Coronado Eagle & Journal Coronado Newspaper – Published weekly since 1912 Icla Da Silva was a 13-year-old Brazilian girl who lost her fight with leukemia. Her older brother Airam wanted to do something to try to make Icla’s fate not be someone else’s by creating the ICLA DA SILVA Foundation, an organization[…]

In March, the Icla da Silva Foundation held two Be the Match 5K Walk/Run: Miami, FL (3/14) and San Diego, CA (3/21). This was the first Matchmaker 5K in these two cities. The event in Miami was held on the Hollywood Beach Boardwalk with the ocean as a beautiful backdrop. Over 100 people attended this first annual event. Three marrow[…]

Aksel is a strong, sweet, dynamic and charming 3 year-old child who loves to dance and jump. His favorite hobby is to play in the rain.   Aksel’s life changed last year during Thanksgiving. He started feeling sick and by December he was diagnosed with HLH with only a 5% chance of survival. Hemophagocytic Lymphohistiocytosis[…]

It’s not often that someone can say they saved somebody’s life, but that is exactly what an anonymous marrow donor did for Baby Ava! At the age of 3 months, Baby Ava was diagnosed with HLH, a rare and life-threatening disease.  After an unsuccessful cord blood transplant, the recommendation for treatment was for a bone[…]

On March 15, 2015, Andrew MacDowell embarked on a 13-mile journey as part of the 2015 United Airlines NYC Half Marathon in support of The Icla da Silva Foundation.   “I beat my time from five years ago.  I think this was the result of the deepened purpose I felt in my heart during this run,[…]

by Matt Sepic, The Pulse (Photo courtesy by Rachel McPherson)   A Philadelphia woman is likely to enjoy many more Thanksgivings following a successful bone marrow transplant. Francesca Lynch has been cancer free for a year because a woman she got to meet only recently signed up with the National Marrow Donor Program’s Be the Match registry.[…]

Wednesday, October 15th was a special evening for The Icla da Silva Foundation. Hundreds of friends gathered at our Hope Gala to celebrate the lives that have been saved through bone marrow transplants. The evening raised more than $315,000 and is the Foundation’s largest annual fundraising event. Financial contributions are critical to the continued growth[…]

BY STACEY ROSENFELD STAFF WRITER CLIFFSIDE PARK CITIZEN BERNADETTE MARCINIAK/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER Ilyana Martinez swabs the inside of her cheek for a sample to be in the bone marrow registry at the Save Sofia Bone Marrow Registry Drive held at the Cliffside Park Firehouse on May 10. Also pictured is Donna Murtaugh, of Cliffside Park, assisting[…]

Behind his adventurous spirit you never would have known that Robert C. Lohnes was sick.  He dedicated his life to serving others through his many uniforms which included NYC Detective, Fingerprint Expert, Cold War Veteran and Ambulatory Care Volunteer.   Even with a distinguished career where he was called upon by the FBI to support[…]