December 1997
Bone Marrow Donor Sought
for Former Financial Aid DirectorFormer Financial Aid Director Corine Williams Byrd devoted her career to helping thousands of UMass Boston students pay for their educations. Now, a committee of her former colleagues and friends are hoping someone on campus may be willing and able to pay her back.
Corinne has leukemia, and her doctors tell her that she needs a bone marrow transplant. As with a blood transfusion, the bone marrow must come from a compatible donor, but the match must be much more exact. The best chance for compatibility comes from a close relative. Next best, is someone from the same racial or ethnic group&emdash;in Corinne's case, African American&emdash;and then the population at large.
During the week of December 1, testing will be done to determine a possible match for Corine.
If you are between 18 and 60, in good health, and willing to be tested, call (toll free) 1-888-223-6667 for more information. Testing will be done at the New England Medical Center's (NEMC) Blood Bank in Braintree, or at NEMC's downtown facility on Stuart Street.