News & Events

Creating A Haroeh Es Hanolad Campaign

Posted on 01 07 2009

For a patient suffering from a life threatening illness, the best chance of finding a genetically matched donor lies with those of similar ethno-geographic ancestry. However, the worldwide donor pool is not adequately representative of all ethnic groups. The Gift of Life (Matnas Chaim) Bone Marrow Foundation, based in Boca Raton, FL, strives to overcome the loss of bloodlines following the Holocaust, a consequence that has made the search for genetically matched donors particularly difficult for Jewish patients. Since 1991, Gift of Life’s targeted efforts have significantly improved the chances that donors will be found for Jewish patients who need transplants.

An international donor recruitment organization, Gift of Life has registered a base of over 125,000 donors, found over 5,000 matches and facilitated almost 500 transplants since its inception in 1991. Once Gift of Life registers 300,000 Jewish donors, it projects there will be a bone marrow match for 80% of Jews in the world.

For the remaining 20%, Gift of Life is pinning a great deal of hope on its cord blood collection program. Cord blood remains in the umbilical cord and placenta following birth, and is extremely valuable because it is rich in blood forming cells. After a baby’s birth, this blood can be collected and frozen until needed. Preserving the cord blood from an estimated 10,000 delivering mothers would guarantee a match for those without identified matches from the regular donor registration process.

Gift of Life chose to concentrate its recruitment efforts for the cord blood program in the Boro Park community of Brooklyn. It began collecting cord blood in local OBGYN practices and has since expanded to include Maimonides Medical Center, the major hospital in the area. Gift of Life has already registered over 1,000 mothers in its program.

The challenge for LUBICOM was to secure broad-based support in the community, particularly from rabbis of all backgrounds. To do so, LUBICOM recruited a leading community activist to assist in mounting the campaign; branded a new name for the project, entitled the Haroeh es Hanolad campaign; set up meetings for the Gift of Life executives with leading rabbis; and coordinated an intensive publicity campaign in local media outlets. Through its coordinator, LUBICOM secured many letters of endorsement from leading rabbis, with the expectation that this will lead to many more mothers participating in the program.