LHS Doing Free Bone Marrow Drive at Austin City Limits
10/02/2009
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(PR) While one group of rock legends and cancer survivors are hiking Mt Kilimanjaro to fight cancer in East Africa in an event dubbed Kilimanjaro Rocks, the Love Hope Strength Foundation (LHS), a rock n' roll charity that uses the power of music to fight cancer, will also be joining forces with Livestrong at Austin City Limits (ACL) to make a difference in the fight against cancer.
Every year 30,000 people in the U.S. alone are in search of a bone marrow donor match, yet only 3,000 are able to find one. In what amounts to a simple cheek swab, and completion of a registration form, ACL concert-goers can enter their name to the registry in under five minutes and help save a life. The registration process, which normally costs at least $65, will be free thanks to underwriting by DKMS Americas, one of the world's largest bone marrow registries.
Love Hope Strength will be set up in the LIVESTRONG booth, located in the Good for Austin area at the east end of Rock island in Austin's Zilker Park. The drive will kick off on the opening day of ACL � Friday, October 2, which is LIVESTRONG Day, a global day of action and awareness that engages people to join its unified movement to fight cancer thru more than 1,000 events around the world. The day also marks the 13th anniversary of LIVESTRONG founder and chairman, cancer survivor and champion cyclist Lance Armstrong's own diagnosis with advanced testicular cancer.
LHS spent the summer of 2009 signing up more than 3,000 people to the registry at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and major music festivals around the country. Its efforts to date have resulted in 14 people finding matches, potentially saving as many lives.
"This is a powerful way to make a difference in the fight against cancer right now. We are offering people a chance to potentially save a life in what usually amounts to a half day's effort," said James Chippendale, co-founder of LHS, President of CSI Insurance and cancer survivor who is alive today because of finding his match through the international marrow registry. "We are excited to join forces with LIVESTRONG and DKMS to battle this disease and the stigmas associated with it here at ACL and we are optimistic that this crowd will help us all make a real tangible difference in one short weekend."
For more information on LHS and how to get involved, visit: www.lovehopestrength.org.
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