Bone-marrow match sought for youngster

Marc Weinstein, a fourth-grader living in Marlboro, was born with a rare blood disorder known as HLH (hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis), the same blood disorder that claimed the life of his brother, Ross, in 2002. The disease has progressed to the point whereMarc desperately needs a bone-marrow transplant, but no ideal match has been found. Since tissue type is inherited, Marc's best chance for a match is someone who shares his Eastern European ancestry.

WhenMarc's school, Solomon Schechter Day School, and his brother Robert's school, Marlboro Jewish Center Nursery School, learned of the urgency of the situation, they asked neighboring communities to host bone-marrow drives to help find Marc a match.

Being tested is simple; it takes just a swab of cotton inside the cheek. Although individuals who are tested might not matchMarc, they become part of the worldwide registry where they might save someone else's life, today or in the future.

Marc'sMiracle Team contacted Gift of Life (www.giftoflife.org) for help with funding, organizing and promoting the drive and began to raise funds. Gift of Life provides a large subsidy for the lab costs of processing the swabs, but there is still some cost involved.

The community of East Brunswick has held two bone-marrow drives in an effort to find a match for Marc. A third drive is scheduled for 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Feb. 24 at Solomon Schechter Day School of Raritan Valley, 511 Ryders Lane, East Brunswick.

Individuals between the ages of 18 and 60 who are in good health may be tested. The process takes only minutes. Although Marc's best chance of a match is from someone of Eastern European descent, no one will be turned away from the testing.