I DETROIT I
Southfield Man Searches
For Bone Marrow Donor
SUSAN GRANT
Staff Writer
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Southfield family is
pressing an Ohio
court to open adop-
tion records in an attempt to
save their son's life.
Jonathan Cohen, 19, was
first diagnosed with
leukemia in December.
Cohen, who worked at a
local restaurant before the
diagnosis, graduated from
Southfield Lathrup High
School last year. He is
undergoing chemotherapy
treatment while waiting for
a donor.
Dr. Robert Bloom, who has
been treating Cohen, said
the leukemia went into a
brief remission earlier this
year with the help of
chemotherapy. But last
month it returned.
Because chemotherapy
failed to cure the disease,
Cohen's best chance for re-
covery is finding a bone
marrow donor, Dr. Bloom
said.
Cohen, who was adopted as
a baby, needs the adoption
records in Youngstown,
Ohio, open so he can find his
biological family including
any brothers or sisters he
might have. He has the best
chances of finding a donor
from his natural family.
Cohen's mother, Charlene
Ehrlich, said usually family
members are checked first to
see if they match. However,
because Cohen was adopted,
neither Ehrlich nor Cohen's
sister, Shelia, 26 are com-
patible donors.
Once the whereabouts of
Cohen's natural parents are
discovered, they must be
tested to determine if they
are suitable donors.
But Dr. Bloom said even if
the parents are found,
chances are they will not be
a compatible match.
Cohen's best chance for a
match is finding a brother or
sister from his natural
parents, Dr. Bloom said.
There is a 25 percent chance
the match will work with a
sibling.
While Cohen is at Sinai,
doctors are determining his
tissue type. Once doctors
know his tissue type they
will try to match it up with
those found in the National
Bone Marrow Registry. The
registry holds the names and
tissue types of people who
have agreed to be bone
marrow donors.
Without his natural fami-
.
Jonathan Cohen
ly, doctors must search for
compatible donors through
the national registry. If the
registry has no match,
Cohen's family must begin a
local search for a donor.
Ehrlich asks area
residents to go to the Ameri-
can Red Cross and become
pheresis donors. The two-
hour pheresis procedure,
where blood is extracted,
separated and tested, is
available at the downtown
Red Cross office.
According to the American
Red Cross, 100,000 people
are on the National Bone
Marrow Registry. Chances
of Cohen finding a match are
one in 20,000.
Although insurance pays
for the bone marrow opera-
tion, it will not pay for the
search. Ehrlich expects the
search, which includes fin-
ding Cohen's natural
parents, to exceed $25,000.
To help pay for the search,
Congregation Beth Achim
Rabbi Martin Berman has
established a discretionary
fund in Cohen's name.
Ehrlich said although he is
tired from the chemotherapy
and did not want to talk,
Cohen is feeling pretty good.
He is expected to be released
from the hospital at the end
of the week.
Despite the uncertainties
of finding a bone marrow
donor, Ehrlich remains op-
timistic that one will be
found.
"I have to be." ❑
Machon L'Torah
Sets Banquet
The Jewish Learning Net-
work of Michigan will hold its
Tenth Anniversary Banquet
June 27 at The Days Hotel in
Southfield.