In 2005, my friend Rich went to the hospital because of headaches that had been lasting for months. He was diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia, went through treatment, and went into remission in January of 2006. Later that year he went on to start a foundation to raise awareness about the disease and make it his mission to educate people about the urgent need for donating blood, and even more so, bone marrow.

I joined the bone marrow database and encourage everyone I know to do the same. The donor card comes with me everywhere I go. Whenever I hear about someone like Mr. Gupta, I try and think of every person possible that might not know one of two very important things:

1. Becoming a donor is not as painful as you grew up beleiving it was. 2. A single day of your discomfort could give someone the rest of their life.

Over the course of the next several years, Rich pretty much kept his immediate condition to himself except with his family and few very close friends. This did prove difficult for him since he was someone who was "notable" (a term those of us on HN would understand), but upon publication he would always see the silver lining since it helped promote his foundation.

On September eighth, 2010, Rich was only 36 years old when he passed away after suffering a stroke secondary to leukemia.

Please, do what you can. Every day, do what you can.

http://marrow.org/