j_p

I am so sorry I abandoned this post. Thousands of new potential donors were registered; nearly two hundred patients waiting for donors were matched. These numbers do not include those of you who may have registered. Unfortunately for all of us, my niece was not one of those who was matched. Emily Jane has gone home.

Well, if we are concerned about the world as a whole, we probably have nothing to worry about. But most of us worry most about ourselves, our descendents, our societies and our species. I believe humans are capable of causing catastrophic change.

I am outraged by the flagrant attempt at mis-direction. I wish I could be certain the my fellow citizen would not fall for it. The only justification for banning gay marriage is that marriage exists to provide a social construct for procreation. Great, I could have been shacking up and saving a bundle on taxes! There is no reason to deny ANY two adults from forming a legal marital partenership with all the attendent rights and responsibilities.

An important concept is the tipping point; non-scientists believe that progession is 'naturally' linear. People do not understand that complex systems are buffered, and that when the buffering capacity of the system is out-stripped, change is rapid, drastic, and irreversible in the short term.

Ahh, that is a good thing. Thank you for the work you are doing and may do in the future. There will be a lot of people depending on you. So, ah, maybe you should stop goofing off on message boards and get back to work?

May I ask, why you ask? Are stem cells currently an issue in your life?

In the '60's, when women's dress pants and mini-skirts were both very new and outrageous, a well-known socialite went to lunch at a very haute New York restaurant in a pant-suit. She was refused admittance in the suit but was allowed in in just the jacket [as a mini-skirted dress].

The first step to recovery is recognizing that your fears are not irrational; it is a cruel world. The second step is recognizing that they are excessive. Social situations will not kill you. Torture, but not kill. Are you by chance 1.) young 2.) smart 3.) scientificly inclined, and finally, 4.) less attractive than most of the public images of people of your age and gender? If so, you will outgrow the first, are typical in respect to the last, and in time you will find associates who value the second and third. Still, you want better advice than, 'Don't worry'. In social situations, watch people, listen to them; don't focus on yourself. And be charitable toward others.

Wait a minute; I thought this technology could be used to keep the muscles in a paralyzed limp from atrophizing? [bTW, I am not defending the sale of them as fittness aids, but I actually owned a home-use version once, and it was a lot of fun to watch the muscles jump. I wonder if I still have it?]

PLEASE SHARE THIS WITH EVERYONE ON YOUR CONTACT LIST. My friends, as most of Eastern Massachusetts now knows, my niece Emily has leukemia and is hoping for a bone marrow transplant. Unfortunately, she has no match on the international registries. So, her aunt Margaret O'Leary has started an e-drive. Those of you who can not attend any of the live-drives listed below have two options for registering as donors: http://www.crir.org [click on To Register As a Donor] http://www.giftoflife.org [click on DONORS & ONLINE REGISTRATION] The Caitlin Raymond International Registry [CRIR] is for anyone covered by a non-ERISA employer's health plan in Massachusetts; Gift of Life requires a tax deductible donation of $18. These sites, and http://www.marrow.org have lots of information on bone marrow donation. A lot of people have asked how to help; it's easy. Forward this email to EVERYONE in your contact lists, and post the information on every message board you visit. We will find a match for Emily, and for all the others without a match. Thanks, every-one. Emily's Wicked Aunt Jean Links: http://www.crir.org/registerdonor.html http://www.giftoflife.org/article.asp?ID=10 http://homepage.mac.com/dok/iblog/B1289807253/index.html http://www.bonemarrowtest.com/patient_services/calendar_of_drives/ Live-drives: BRING YOUR INSURANCE CARD! January 14th: The DANTE Club 3 Dante Terrace, Somerville off Craigie St. at the intersection of Somerville Ave & Elm St Saturday, January 14th, 10 am to 3 pm January 21st: The Elks Club 52 Long Pond Road, Plymouth Saturday, January 21st, 9 am to 5 pm January 21st & 22nd: Milford Portuguese Club 19 Prospect Heights, Milford Saturday, January 21st, 9 am to 5 pm Sunday, January 22nd, 10 am to 4 pm January 26th: VFW Post 8502 843 State Road [Route 6], Westport Thursday, January 26th, 2 pm to 8 pm January 28th: First Church [Congregational] 1 Meetinghouse Green [off route 1A/133], Ipswich Saturday, January 28th, 10 am to 4 pm January 29th: Subway 151 Highland Street, Worcester Sunday, Janudary 29th, Noon to 5 pm [parking: corner of West & Highland behind the Sahara] February 4th & 5th: Holy Family Parish Hall 5 Sparhawk Street, Amesbury Saturday, February 4th, 10 am to 6 pm Sunday, February 5th, noon to 5 pm We're gonna save a lot of lives. j.

Ah' date=' but I don't consider you strangers ... A more serious response would be that I am not asking a favor [ignore that Title behind the curtain'], but asking for assistance, not for myself but for one unable to ask herself. The most serious response is that the shortage of stem cell donors means that there are not enough matches in the system. And so, people die. The Little Beloved just cruised through chemo [it nearly killed her last time], and her extended family is running donor drives all over the country. So, lives will be saved.

So, just checking in, has any-one become a new platelet donor or registered stem cell donor? People are reluctant because platelets take longer to donate, and because many do not know that stem cells can be harvested from the blood and do not require mining the bone marrow. But it's a cheap good deed; how often do you get to safe a life by just hanging around in bed watching a movie? This isn't just for my little beloved; lots of people need donors. My greatest hope is that I get called up as a donor for any-one next year. So, make it your New Year's resolution to donate platelets as soon as your get over your hang-overs. And bring a friend.