Below is a letter from the family of Alan Cohen who is fighting for his life against leukemia.  Use this link to request a free swabbing kit and instructions for joining the bone marrow registry.  Click on "Register NOW as a donor" and use the code "savealan" when prompted.

Dear Friends:

There are times in life when we need the help of everyone we know, friends, members of the communities and groups we belong to, colleagues in the work place and even strangers.  Now is such a time for the Cohen family! 

Alan Cohen a 49-year old investment manager has an aggressive life-threatening disease…acute erythroleukemia.

He is the son of Lilly and the late George Cohen, husband of Judy, father of twelve-year old twins Maddy and Wendy, brother of Susan and son-in-law, cousin, nephew and uncle…much loved by his extended family.

Alan is currently at Mt. Sinai Hospital in New York City, where he is getting excellent medical treatment, including chemotherapy.  Because his leukemia is progressing so rapidly, he will need a bone marrow transplant within a matter of weeks.

We are seeking a “match” from a person who can contribute a small amount of bone marrow that can replace Alan’s toxic bone marrow and cure him.  History records many successful transplants of this type.  The donor the doctors seek would probably be Jewish, Ashkenazi and possibly but not necessarily a Cohen.  The test for a donor match consists of a saliva sample from someone between 18 and 60 years old, with no history of chemotherapy treatment.

American and Israeli bone registries have and continue to search for a match.  Thousands of recent swabs are being urgently analyzed at these registries with underwriting by York Capital, Alan’s firm, plus other generous donors.

BUT, WE NEED THOUSANDS MORE PEOPLE TO BE TESTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE because in Alan’s particular case a match is difficult to find.  Please note, by expanding the number of people listed in the bone marrow registries other lives will be saved as well! 

Thank you from all of us the Cohen Family and Friends