LOS ANGELES— Western Primate Archbishop Hovnan Derderian on January 29 received a delegation from the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry.
During the meeting, which took place at the Western Diocese, in Burbank, California, ABMDR Board members and volunteers familiarized Arch. Derderian with the Registry’s most recent achievements and current activities, as well as some of the difficulties the organization faces. These include the ongoing challenge of expanding ABMDR’s ranks since the loss of a large number of Artsakh residents who were ABMDR donors, and especially those who served in Artsakh’s armed forces.
Archbishop Derderian pledged his continued support of ABMDR’s life-saving mission, including support for various recruitment and outreach efforts in the United States and Armenia alike. The Primate and the ABMDR delegation agreed to have the year’s first Diocese-hosted bone marrow donor recruitment event on February 3.
In addition, Arch. Derderian designated March 16 of this year as a day of compassion, when prayers will be offered at the Diocese’s Saint Leon Cathedral, as well as other churches throughout the West Coast, for ABMDR patients and families.
“I’d like to express our great appreciation of Arch. Derderian for continually motivating our community to contribute to our life-saving mission,” said ABMDR president Dr. Frieda Jordan and continued, “We also would like to convey our gratitude to the Primate for his strong dedication to helping raise awareness of our work.”
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 33,500 donors in 32 countries across four continents, identified over 9,000 patients, and facilitated 44 bone marrow transplants. For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit the website.
