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Issue: 870 Date: 4/26/2007
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華人社區齊心協心 參與骨髓登記
為拯救華裔小女孩Hannah而努力
The Kindness of a Stranger is a Seed for a Miracle Bone
Marrow Drives in the Chinese Community for Hannah Rumping April 21 - 22, 2007
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| Hannah的表親JoAann Powers(左)、Lori Rumping在福音教會協助登記之進行 |
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【時報訊】二歲的Hannah是一位漂亮而且勇敢的華裔小女孩，她的母親是夏威夷華裔，父親是德裔，曾住在聖路易市，現在住在辛辛那提市。Hannah不幸患疾急需骨髓移植，在她的親友中沒有發現骨髓相符者，由於Hannah有部分亞裔血統，她在聖路易的19位表親聯合起來向亞裔社區發出呼籲，希望能找到骨髓相符的骨髓移植志願者。19位表親中有Hannah父親的弟弟Bill
Ramping代表透過聖路易華人福音教會陳達牧師向聖路易華人社區發起捐贈骨髓登記活動。陳達牧師同時透過教會聯絡網，4月22日同步在美國加州Freso和俄亥俄州Cincinnatti同步展開骨髓登記活動。
在聖路易地區將近有170位人士完成登記作業，90%以上是亞裔，三個城市(聖路易、Fresno、Cincinnatti)登計人數總共為287人
4月22日下午一時，記者到了位於141號公路之中華福音教會採訪，看到該教會會友及社區人士踴躍地參加這項骨髓捐贈登記活動。Hannah的表親多人在現場幫忙負責說明和協助取樣之進行。負責此項活動的Bill Rumping表示，樣品取樣後將送往明尼蘇達醫學中心作比對化驗，希望能在眾多的善心捐贈者之中尋得骨髓與Hannah相符者，以拯救Hannah的生命。
骨髓登記活動也是一項全國性的骨髓捐贈計劃，參加方式非常容易，您的年齡必須在十八歲到六十歲之間，健康良好，要填寫一個表格，同意捐贈骨髓給任何有需要的病人。加入骨髓捐贈計劃的過程很簡單：用棉籤在你的口腔抹一下自行取下ＤＮＡ樣品，不需要醫生護士，不用紮針，毫無痛苦，。因為病人在相同族裔人群中找到匹配的可能性比較大，Hannah和其他亞裔病人急切需要亞裔捐贈者，全國骨髓捐贈計劃需要所有種族的捐贈者！您需要更多詳情，請電(314)368-0710或福音教會(636)391-2112。
22日下午在中華福音教會幫忙之Hannah的表親JoAnn Powers女士向記者表示，感謝上帝，她非常感動華人社區的熱心參與，她從來沒有想到會有這麼多的華人朋友會參與登記骨髓捐贈，她特別向華人福音教會陳達牧師和長老教會紀元訓牧師致謝。JoAnn Powers曾親自將捐贈活動的資料送到聖路易臺灣基督長老教會並獲得紀元訓牧師的協助，22日上午在主日禮拜中宣佈這項活動，讓更多的人士參加骨髓捐贈登記。
JoAnn Powers等表親在22日下午同一時間內也趕到位於141號公路上的現代中文學校，向該校參與骨髓登記的人士致謝。
時報本期英文版特別刊登JoAnn Powers女士對這次骨髓登記之˙感謝報導及有關拯救Hannah所做之一切努力。
The Kindness of a Stranger is a Seed for a Miracle Bone Marrow Drives in the Chinese Community for Hannah Rumping April 21 - 22, 2007
By Jo Ann Powers
On behalf of a two year old girl fighting leukemia, three bone marrow drives were held last weekend. Hannah Rumping, the daughter of Tom and Mei Ling Rumping, was diagnosed with the disease the first week of February and is in urgent need of a bone marrow transplant. Her two older siblings, Sarah and Caleb, were tested, as well as the baby Mei Ling will give birth to in July. However, no one matched Hannah. In fact, no one in the National Marrow Donor Program's registry of several million matches Hannah. Since Hannah's maternal grandfather was Chinese, she has the best chance of finding a match with someone who is Asian or part Asian, Native American, Hispanic or a Pacific Islander.
Tom Rumping's family quickly organized the three bone marrow drives in St. Louis under the direction of Rick Mason of the NMDP. With the help of volunteer translators Li Sha Tang and Jian Guo, as well as 24 of Tom's family members, approximately 170 people were added to the NMDP registry last weekend in St. Louis. More than 90 percent of those registering were Asian. Through grants and a corporate donation, tissue typing fees are covered for all applicants that register at one of Hannah's drives.
"We are thrilled that the Chinese community pitched in and we are so thankful. I was in tears when I saw all the beautiful people coming forward to register at the Chinese Language School" said Anna Rumping, Hannah's grandmother. People from all walks of life came to donate: tattooed young men, grandmothers, college students. One young woman brought her two daughters along and pointed to Hannah's photo to remind her girls that this is the child they have been praying for at home. Bill Rumping, Tom's youngest brother and Hannah's uncle, was pleased at the turnout and is already working to set up additional drives in order to give Hannah the best chance to find her match in the Chinese and Asian community. The Rumping family is also hopeful that matches will be found for many other Asian patients on the NMDP waiting list. Hannah's great aunt, Mary Ann Haberberger said, "We're working as hard as we can, trusting God to do a miracle."
The busiest donation site was the St. Louis Chinese Gospel Church on Meramec Station Road in West County. Approximately half the new registrations came from this location as Pastor Timothy Chen was instrumental in spreading the word in the community and beyond. Through Pastor Chen's contacts, bone marrow drives were also held in Fresno, California and in Cincinnatti, Ohio on Sunday.
Hannah will be the poster child for the upcoming community-wide Thanks Mom! Marrow Donor Drive which will be held at the Creve Coeur Fire Department, Fire House #1 at 11720 Olive Blvd on Saturday, May 12th from 10:00am to 4:00 pm. The Thanks Mom! Drive is free to all who want to join, made possible from donations to the marrow foundation. The Rumping family will be on hand to assist with the drive and they are hopeful that many more Asians will come to join the National Marrow Donor Program Registry. For more information, please contact Rick Mason with the NMDP at (314)368-0710 or go to www.marrow.org
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| 發起組織這次聖路易地區為拯救Hannah骨髓捐贈登記活動Hannah的叔叔Bill Rumping |
Hannah的小表親Grace Powers(左一)、Julia Walther及義工朋友湯麗莎在福音教會協助登記之進行。 |
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| 福音教會青少年們踴躍參與登記活動 |
福音教會骨髓登記活動現場 |
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| Hannah的父母親Tom、Mei Ling Rumping向社區致謝 |
Hannah的表親在福音教會協助登記之進行 |
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