Ridgewood stem-cell search draws 500 potential donors

Wednesday, December 25, 2013 Last updated: Thursday December 26, 2013, 4:36 PM

RIDGEWOOD A donor registration drive for a 22-year-old village resident battling Hodgkins lymphoma attracted more than 500 people on Saturday.

Patrice Foresman of Montvales Community Blood Services said it was one of the most successful drives in which she has ever participated.

The four-hour drive, which was held in Village Hall, had to be extended an hour to accommodate everyone. The purpose was to find a match for Anthony Daniels, who was diagnosed at age 20 and has twice been in remission.

It was a sweeping success, due to the tireless efforts of the Daniels family and all the volunteers who wanted to be part of something really important, Foresman said Monday after shipping the samples to Minnesota for analysis.

Hodgkins lymphoma is a cancer of the immune system that attacks white blood cells. Daniels needs a bone marrow stem-cell transplant a procedure he described as a last resort.

In six weeks, the Daniels family should know if Saturdays drive yielded a potential donor for Anthony. Its also possible that one of the donors proves a match for some other patient needing a marrow transplant.

Every four minutes, someone is being diagnosed with a blood cancer, Foresman said.

Healthy people ages 18 to 44 who wanted to attend Saturdays drive for Daniels but couldnt, can still take part in a drive on Jan. 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at Temple Israel on Grove Street. That drive was organized for a 46year-old Ridgewood man who was recently diagnosed.

A donor drive is also planned for a 15-year-old Wood-Ridge High School student on Jan. 4 from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Bergen County Harley-Davidson on Essex Street in Rochelle Park.

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Ridgewood stem-cell search draws 500 potential donors