Western Diocese to Observe Prayer Day for ABMDR Patients and Families This Summer
LOS ANGELES—Primate of the Western Diocese Archbishop Hovnan Derderian pledged his continued support of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry, commending the pan-Armenian organization’s life-saving mission.
The Primate reaffirmed his support during a meeting with a delegation of ABMDR representatives, which took place on February 24 at the Western Diocese, in Burbank, California. The delegation comprised members of the Board of ABMDR, including its president, Dr. Frieda Jordan.
As Board members presented an overview of ABMDR activities in the past 12 months as well as fresh plans for outreach and recruitment events worldwide, Archbishop Derderian conveyed his high praise for ABMDR’s most recent achievements. In particular, the Primate cited a globally-significant COVID-19 research which ABMDR conducted last year, in collaboration with a team of Armenian scientists. The findings of the research have been published in “Frontiers in Immunology,” a leading medical journal.
Also during the meeting, Archbishop Derderian announced that sometime this summer, all Diocese churches will hold a special Prayer Day in order to offer prayers for ABMDR patients and their families. The Prayer Day, the Archbishop said, will serve as a fitting occasion to raise public awareness of ABMDR’s activities and ongoing projects, and to encourage community members to join the ranks of ABMDR as potential bone marrow donors.
“Archbishop Derderian’s support is of great importance to not only our Board members and volunteers, but also, ultimately, our patients and families,” Dr. Jordan said. “When our patients and their loved ones find themselves facing the biggest crisis of their lives, it makes a world of difference to them to know that our community stands with them, that everything will be done to try to find a bone marrow match to save a patient’s life.”
Established in 1999, ABMDR, a nonprofit organization, helps Armenians and non-Armenians worldwide survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants. To date, the registry has recruited over 32,000 donors in 44 countries across four continents, identified over 9,000 patients, and facilitated 38 bone marrow transplants. For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit ABMDR’s website.
