News & Events

Please note: This section includes press releases generated by LUBICOM for various clients.

Bone Marrow Donors and Transplant Survivors Meet for First Time at Gift of Life Gala on May 15th

For Immediate Release
Contact: Jody T. Greenspon,
(561) 988-0100 ext. 28
jgreenspon@giftoflife.org

New York, NY: Three bone marrow transplant survivors had the unique opportunity to meet and thank the heroes who saved their lives at the Gift of Life Bone Marrow Foundation’s annual Partners for Life Gala at the Grand Hyatt in New York on May 15th. The transplant recipients met their donors for the first time in front of an impressive crowd of over 700 guests, including bone marrow donors, recipients, volunteers, doctors, and financial supporters.

Tony award winning actor, Ron Rifkin, an ardent supporter of the organization who served as the dinner’s master of ceremonies for the fifth consecutive year, applauded Gift of Life for its dedication to saving lives. He praised the donors and recipients for sharing such a personal moment in their lives with the dinner guests. Ruth Madoff of the Madoff Family Foundation served as the chairperson of the event.

Dr. Richard Freund, Director of the Center for Judaic Studies and the Maurice Greenberg Professor of Jewish History at the University of Hartford, warmly thanked his bone marrow donor Shlomo Hackel, who joined the Gift of Life registry at a bone marrow drive at the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway (HAFTR) in 2002. Addressing his donor, Dr. Freund said that “through your selfless act of giving, you have proven that true altruism exists in the world.”

Abby Pelcyger, the first donor to be recruited through Gift of Life’s program with Taglit-birthright israel was introduced to her four-year-old recipient, Michael Barton, a joyful and energetic boy. The introduction was made by Charles Bronfman, one of the founders of Taglit birthright-israel and a well known philanthropist. Michael’s mother, obviously moved by this meeting was thankful to finally be able to express her gratitude to the special person who saved her son’s life. She said, “Michael’s presence here is the best reward, not only for his donor, but for everyone who helped him during a long battle with this disease.”

Mira Elias, a senior at Brandies University whose future plans include medical school, met her donor, Tzivya Rogofsky, a medical assistant and office manager from Brooklyn. Referring to the procedure, Rogofsky singled out “the Gift of Life who staff held her hand throughout the entire donation process.” Mira said, “Being given your life back is an overwhelming gift. It is also a responsibility and a privilege. I personally feel a real obligation to use my second chance to help others and live in the best way I can.”

In addition to the emotional pairing of the recipients and their donors, the evening also included the presentation of the Partners for Life Award to Evie Goldfine, a member of the team that founded Omnipoint Corporation, which now operates under the name T-Mobile. Goldfine was the recipient of a blood stem cell transplant facilitated by Gift of Life and has since become an active supporter of the organization. She has coordinated scientific grants that support cancer research, and currently serves as a volunteer courier for Gift of Life.

The Community Service Award was presented to the Hebrew Academy of the Five Towns and Rockaway, whose donor-recruitment efforts have already helped save the lives of 15 patients.

The inspiring evening concluded with “Spotlight on Heroes,” led by Jay Feinberg, the organization’s founder and executive director. Mr. Feinberg introduced and thanked the extraordinary individuals who have been paramount to the continued success of Gift of Life. These heroes included financial supporters, college students who organized donor drives on campus, past donors, and transplant physicians who have all made incredible efforts, volunteering their time and resources to further the important cause of Gift of Life.

Gift of Life facilitates bone marrow, blood stem-cell and umbilical-cord blood transplants for children and adults suffering from life-threatening illnesses around the world. Its services include transplant coordination, donor recruitment, patient advocacy and public education. Through targeted recruitment in Jewish communities throughout North America, Gift of Life 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.