Family and friends of Paul Goodman, a member of Orange County Buddhist Church, released the following appeal for help.
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Paul Goodman, 29, is a beloved son, brother, and friend. Unfortunately, he recently relapsed from leukemia and is in desperate need of a bone marrow match, and thus we are looking for donors to register.
The ideal match for Paul would be a donor who is 50% Japanese and 50% Caucasian, and between the ages of 18-44 years old. The bone marrow pool of donors is limited for people of color and even more limited for biracial people like Paul. Paul’s sister is a 50% match, but a 75% or higher match would give Paul a greater chance of beating this.
However, donors can cross ethnicities and we encourage everyone to register. Your actions could save a life!
It takes 5 minutes to complete the registration form and “swab.” Unlike blood, bone marrow is very hard to find a match for. Therefore, it is imperative to get as many people as possible registered via a simple at-home mouth swab test. There is no cost and all postage is paid for (for those ages 18-44 years). You can also help by forwarding this message to your friends, family and co-workers.
Please review the material below to understand the bone marrow transplant process. 77% of all transplants are non-surgical and 23% involve an outpatient procedure. Please consider the below options for signing up to become a possible bone marrow donor.
To register now:
1. Because this is an urgent situation, we are encouraging everyone to please attend any one of the four LIVE DRIVE THRU events listed below. Events are in compliance with CDC’s COVID safety protocols. Additional details are available on hope4paul.com or ganbattepaul.com
Saturday, Jan. 23: 11:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. — East San Gabriel Valley Japanese Community Center, 1203 W. Puente Ave., West Covina
Sunday, Jan. 24: 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. — Tanaka Farms, 5380¾ University Dr., Irvine
Saturday, Jan. 30: 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. — Nishi Hongwanji, 815 E. First St., Los Angeles
Sunday, Jan. 31: 12 to 4 p.m. — Orange County Buddhist Church, 909 S. Dale Ave., Anaheim
2. OR, request a kit to be hand-delivered to your place of residence by using this link: ganbattepaul.com
3. OR, request a kit by mail (live drive is preferred due to potential delays in the mail service)
Text HOPE4PAUL to 61474 or online at join.bethematch.org/hope4paul
Paul is unable to receive visitors or cards, but you can send your encouraging words to him on Instagram @notsogoodman or post photos and send a private message on ganbattepaul.com
Article on Paul: https://rafu.com/2020/12/ocbc-member-seeks-bone-marrow-match/
To see the impact of a match, watch Krissy Kobata’s story: https://youtu.be/7Q-1E5uTT_k
A note from the Goodman family: We are so grateful to everyone for the love, support, and encouragement we are receiving daily from family, friends, and the community. Just knowing that everyone is thinking of Paul gives us strength during this challenging time.