(This is a post by Rebecca Froman, Elissa’s sister. We met them at the Greater Chicago Jewish Festival a few weeks ago. Helping out is so simple there really is no reason not to. Medical advances mean having an easier time donating if you are a match, and seriously, if you could save someone’s life, why wouldn’t you?
Please help, in any way you can.
-Michael and Patrick)
Elissa, age 26, grew up in suburban Chicago and lives in Washington, DC. Soon after graduating from college about 3½ years ago, she was diagnosed with Hodgkin Lymphoma. Her battle with cancer has been a roller coaster of highs and lows, marked by frustratingly short periods of remission.
Recently, Elissa fulfilled a life-long dream when she learned of her acceptance to graduate school to further her Judaic studies. Just two days later, her dreams were shattered by the news that her cancer had returned yet again.
Elissa works as an advocate for the human and civil rights of others. She is now faced with a challenge of a lifetime and is in need of help from another—as a stem cell transplant is her only hope for a cure.
As the granddaughter of four Holocaust survivors, Elissa has little family to test for a match and needs a genetically-matched donor to receive her life-saving transplant. Elissa and her family are asking you to join the National Bone Marrow/Blood Stem Cell Registry through organizations such as Be The Match, Gift of Life, or Ezer Mitizion. By joining, you fulfill tikkun olam by being a potential donor standing ready to give patients like Elissa a second chance at life. And her hope is that even if you can’t help her, you may be able to help another patient and their family.
Registration is easy! A consent form is filled out and a swab of the cheeks is taken. Your tissue type is added to the Registry until your 61st birthday. You must be between the ages of 18-60 and in good health to join. If you are interested in either joining or helping to organize a registration drive, please contact Elissa’s sister Becky at rebeccafroman@comcast.net or at 847-924-9185.
“If you save one life, it is as if you have saved the entire world.”