I've mentioned Janet Liang before. And I've written about other API cancer patients who are in desperate need of a bone marrow match. Simply put, this is a matter of life and death for them. But sadly, our community persistently has some of the lowest rates of bone marrow donor registry.
Part of this has to do with a lack of education, right? A lot of folks just don't understand the process of getting registered and perhaps believe it will involve scary needles and stuff. I get it. But you don't have to be afraid.
To illustrate, here's an entertaining and educational video, directed by John Zhang, that shows how registering to become a bone marrow donor is actually quite easy and painless. Take a look:
See? It's easy. So spread the word and pass it along. And register to become a bone marrow donor by signing up here, or go to one of the many donor drives happening near you. Seriously, you could save someone's life.
If you're in the Chicago area, you should check out the Be The Match: Kickoff Benefit Concert featuring Victor Kim and JR Aquino. It's an event to raise awareness about the lack of AAPI representation in the national bone marrow registry. For further information, go the Facebook event page here.