Jain Digest 2000 03 Vol 16 No 1

Author(s): Federation of JAINA
Publisher: USA Federation of JAINA

Page 6

LETTERS TO THE EDITOR
Dear Editor:
I am the desperate mother of a 14 year old son who has leukemia. The only cure for him is a bone marrow transplant. With a good matching bone marrow transplant, he will be cured
of the leukemia, otherwise he could die.
For the past five months, we have called hundreds of people to organize bone marrow drives in their city's temples or other functions. We have been only moderately successful in organizing bone marrow drives, but we have yet to find any matching bone marrow for my son. We are exhausted, frustrated and very scared.
Since we are Indians and Jain, the possibility of finding a match is higher among Jains and Indians. Even within the Indian population, the odds are one in 100,000 of finding a perfect match. On the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) there are only about 6,000 Indians registered. We need to increase the number of Indians in a NMDP registry to save some lives.
To organize a bone marrow drive call one of the numbers below or call us at 217/787-7739 and we will help you set up a drive. The NMDP staff would come to your function, party or Puja and take blood samples from prticipants in bone marrow drive. The result of your blood test is entered into the National Registry. When a person needs a bone marrow transplant, they contact the National Registry who in turn contacts you (if your bone marrow matches) asking for your bone marrow. Giving bone marrow is not dangerous or very painful. Through a simple surgical procedure (usually as an outpatient) blood is drawn from your bone marrow, from the hip and not the spine. Your body regenerates that blood within a week. The donor would experience some soreness for two to three days but that is all. In return, you are SAVING THE LIFE of a child or a person desperately in need. You are giving a mother back her son! How can we go wrong in doing this? How can we not do it? Is this not what our religion is all about?
Bone marrow is a gift of life. Please give. I am appealing to all your readers to organize a bone marrow drive in your city or temple. Even if you have organized a drive in the past, every new person who registers has a potential to save my son's life; so please help organize a bone marrow drive - big or small. I hope and pray that no other parents have to go through what we are going through right now. This would help save my son's life.
Jai Jinendra!
Kalpana Desai
Numbers to call
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National Bone Marrow Registry at 800-627-7692, or South Asian Marrow Assoc.of Recruiters at 718-592-0821 Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches at 888-236-4673, or Your Local Red Cross or Blood Bank
4/ JAIN DIGEST. SPRING 2000
Dear Editor:
Thank you for your beautiful Year 2000 Calendar. The Calendar is a depiction of the rich culture inherited by the Jain community in different parts of India. I am sure, it would be welcomed by all Indian Americans.
I am aware of the good work being carried out by the Federation of Jain Associations in North America in keeping the community abreast with spiritual, artistic and cultural developments. I had earlier received the diskette containing the addresses of members of JAINA, which has been added to the Embassy's data base on the Indian American community in the US.
Please keep me posted regarding the various cultural events, particularly, those at the national level to enable me to include these in the Calendar of Events of the Indian American community in the US which we maintain.
Wishing you and all members of JAINA a very happy, healthy and prosoerous New Year.
Yours sincerely,
Anil Chowdhry, Minister (Community Affairs) Embassy of India, Washington, DC 20008
Dear Editor:
Great congratulations for having decided to publish the JAINA calendar. Many times in the past I have asked to publish information on Jain Festival dates. With this a calendar you have added to the usefulness of such information. It has splendid photography of Jain temples. JAINA have also achieved the wish of Jain devotees to have their own calendar and to make their presence better known in our world. May your initiatives be greatly appreciated and be continued for many many years to come.
Pierre Amiel, Nice, France
COVER CAPTIONS:
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Photo 1: Ceiling Ranakpur temple
Photo 2: Yatra 2000 yatries looking at the ceiling
Cover Design: Rajesh Arora