Red Cross to hold bone marrow drive

by Lisa Nicole Finegan staff writer

Elizabeth Santorine, daughter of Joe Santorine, director of activities and recreation at the Dixon Center, is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant. Her rare form of leukemia can not be cured through chemotherapy; she needs a complete match of bone marrow in order to live.

On Thursday, April 22, 1999, the Red Cross, through The National Bone Marrow Registry, will conduct a bone marrow drive in the Dixon Center.

In the April 7 edition of the FYI news brief, College President Antoinette Iadarola asks all students, faculty, staff and members of the community to come out and show their support for Elizabeth.

All interested in donating will be asked to give a small sample of blood that will then be sent out to the laboratory for a series of tests.

If a preliminary match has been found, a letter will be sent to the _______ - individual asking them to continue on for further tests.

There are concerns with donors with AIDS, cancer and diabetes. Donors with asthma, high blood pressure, heart disease, and hepatitis may or may not be able to donate depending on the specifics of their condition. Individuals who are interested but have any of these conditions are asked to inquire as to whether or not they are able to donate.

Regardless of one's blood type, a match may be found for Elizabeth or for another patient listed in the National Bone Marrow Donor Registry.

Those who are unable to give blood are asked to donate money to help pay for the official screening.

Make checks payable to "Cabrini College Santorine Family Appeal." The donations should be sent to the Office of Institutional Advancement, care of Al Mollica, where a restricted account has been created.

Becoming A Donor

There are several requirements that must be met for a person to be considered a bone ma"ow donor. WJiena person is approved, he or she must undergo several steps in the collection procedure.

Donor Requirements

You must be between the ages of 18 and 60, in general good health, and you must not be excessively overweight for your age, gender or height.

Procedure l) You learn about bone marrow donation and give a small blood sample.

2) Your marrow type is determined and entered into the National Marrow Donor Program Registry.

3) You are contacted if a preliminary match is found.

4) A compatible marrow match is identified.

5) You decide whether to donate.

6) A small amount of your marrow is collected from the back of your pelvic bone using a special needle and syringe while you are under anesthesia.

7) You recover quickly from this procedure and resume normal activity. You may stay overnight in the hospital or be discharged the same day. You may experience some soreness.

On the weekend of March 19, the two speakers from the Widener Center Lecture Hall were stolen. According to Dr. Adeline Bethany, the speakers were taken sometime between her class on Friday afternoon and Sunday.

"I did not even notice they were gone on Monday," Bethany said. "We were not aware of the speakers until Tuesday. We just figured that the sound system was broken. When I noticed that they were missing, I immediately contacted Public Safety and they came and did an investigation.''

According to Bethany, the company that installed the system said that the speakers were worth around $3,000. They also speculated that two strong people probably committed the act, since the speakers were heavy and mounted high on the wall.

'The speakers were held in by screws that were around eight inches long each, which made stealing them extremely hard," Bethany said, "They probably used the piano to stand against the wall to take the speakers."

In her 24 years at Cabrini College, Bethany had never had anything stolen from her until Thanksgiving break. "I had my computer stolen from my locked office," Bethany sai_d."~as extremely disappomtecf.,1-:}

"I do not think that the lecture hall is ever locked at night, and they should [lock it] due to the fact thatthere are two doors that connect to the parking lot for people to just walk out with something," Bethany said. ''It is even ea~ier for people to figure out the routine of Public Safety and when to go and take something when they are not around.''

Bethany feels it is a ·'shame" the speakers were stolen. "It's no fun to listen to classical music on a small radio," she said. "You need to listen to it on a nice system, like the one we once had."