Manhattan Drive

Yesterday we had a successful drive here at Manhattan, Kansas. 193 people registered during the drive. Special thanks to the Manhattan community who came forward to register as "bone marrow donors" - without you people this could not have been possible. It felt good to be a part of the drive. One could feel the positive energy and high spirit all around the engineering building of Kansas State University, and everyone seemed to have the confidence that he or she will be a match for Dr. Prakash. In addition to helping by being a donor, everyone who was present at the drive including kids wanted to help in some way or the other.

I was deeply touched by all the hardwork and commitment by Mohan and his family, Bala and the ISA committee and all the volunteers in making this drive a great success. It was a well organized drive, with many volunteers with "MAY I HELP YOU" and "VOLUNTEER" badges to guide people through the entire procedure, and to attend to their questions. The idea of a "smiley-face sticker" for everyone who registered to be a donor was very sweet and thoughtful. Refreshments were served by ISA, the Krishnaswami family and "Daylight Donuts", and I would specially like to thank the staff of "Daylight Donuts" for their generosity and kindness. The streamlined organization and the efficiency and courtesy of the volunteers impressed all those who participated in the drive.

The highlight of the drive was the inspirational presence of the "Heart of America" volunteer Danielle who is a bone marrow transplant survivor and has been living a healthy life for the past three years. I would also like to thank Gail from the "Heart of America" for her efficient management of the drive, for providing information about the BMT process and patiently answerig all the questions. The video provided by the organization was very infomative and helped the donors to understand the process and get their doubts cleared.

Two young girls from Manhattan community between the agegroup 12-15 wanted to be donors for "Prakash uncle", but unfortunately due to the age requirements they could not. They were sad about it, and so was I, and their question "why can't they donate even if they are under 18" was a tough one to answer. That was a truly hearltfelt experince for me. It is very touching to see what a close-knit community we have here in Manhattan that has been working together as a family in finding a match for Dr. Prakash.

Dr. Prakash, all of us are with you in this battle and we are going to win this.

Shilpa