FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Heidi Durrow
Phone: 213-293-7077
Email: heidi@mixedremixed.org
Website: www.mixedremixed.org
MIXED HERITAGE BONE MARROW REGISTRY DRIVE
AT MIXED REMIXED FESTIVAL
(Los Angeles, CA) The Mixed Remixed Festival will register bone marrow donors with the help of Mixed Marrow on Saturday, June 13, at the Japanese American National Museum in downtown Los Angeles (100 N. Central Street).
Mixed Marrow strives to inform, educate, and register more minority/multiracial donors so that people of all races and colors can have an equal chance at finding a life-saving bone marrow transplant. Mixed Marrow, founded in 2009, recruits donors for Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches, Be The Match, and the National Marrow Donor Program. Mixed Marrow is currently working on a documentary film, Mixed Match, to help bring awareness.
Mixed Marrow founder, Athena Mari Asklipiadis, shared the importance of the cause, stating, “Patient-donor matches rely heavily on inherited genes so similar ancestry (race) is usually the case which is why it is important all communities register as donors.”
About 70% of patients in need of a transplant do not have a matching donor in their family. They depend on the Be The Match Registry® to find a match. Siblings with the same two parents only hold a 1 in 4 chance of matching. Because ethnicity is a determining factor in finding a match, patients will most likely find a donor within their racial and ethnic community. Yet, of the 6 million people on the registry, less than 7% are of Asian/Pacific Islander descent, less than 6 % are of Hispanic descent, and only 7.6 % are African Americans. Of the 11 million donors on the registry, only 4% are mixed race (all possible combinations).
Prospective donors between the ages of 18-44 can register in only 10 minutes at the Festival by filling out a registration form and having their cheek swabbed for a sample. All donors will be placed on the National and Worldwide registry so that every patient can have a fair chance to look for a match.
The Mixed Remixed Festival, which takes place June 13, celebrates stories of the Mixed experience and stories of interracial and intercultural relationships, blended families, and anyone who identifies with having mixed roots.
A free public event, the Mixed Remixed Festival brings together film and book lovers, innovative and emerging artists, and multiracial families and individuals for workshops, readings, film screenings, a special series of family events Saturday afternoon, and a dynamic live performance of music, comedy, and spoken word Saturday evening. Registration is strongly encouraged.
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