4 | AUGUST 29 • 2024 
J
N

PURELY COMMENTARY

T

he Talmudic dictum: “He who saves one 
life is as though he has saved the world,” 
(Sanhedrin, 37a) is a frequently cited 
teaching. How is it applicable to you? What would 
you do to save one life? Give it some thought.
Not everyone is a trained healer. 
Health care professionals save lives 
every day. In their actions, these 
practitioners exemplify the mitzvah 
of pekuach nefesh (saving a life) 
which is the highest priority in 
Judaism. The act of pekuach nefesh 
is so important that it supersedes 
observing Yom Kippur. So again, I 
pose the question: what would you do to save one 
life?
 • Would you jump into a swimming pool 
to rescue a struggling child (assuming you can 
swim)?
 • Would you administer Narcan nasal spray to 
an addict experiencing an opioid overdose?
 • Would you call 911 in an emergency and 
wait for the first responders to arrive?
 • Would you take five minutes to swab your 
cheek and join the registry of potential bone 
marrow donors?
Yes, a simple cheek swab submitted to a bone 
marrow registry can be the first step to saving a 
life. We’ve all become skilled swabbers. We have 
swabbed for COVID hundreds of times. That was 
a nasal swab. This cheek swab is easier, faster and 
more comfortable.
Which brings us to the current situation. There 
are two women in our community waiting for 
bone marrow transplants. Elaine and Lauren are 
wives, mothers, grandmothers. They are book 
club friends. They live a mile apart, belong to the 
same synagogue, have similar aged adult children 
and love to share their travel adventures. They 
were diagnosed just weeks apart with AML, Acute 
Myeloid Leukemia, and are being treated by the 
same medical team at University of Michigan. 
They are on the same therapeutic trajectory. To 
date, there are no compatible marrow matches on 
the registries for either woman. This situation is 
not unique. 
According to data from NMDP (National 

Marrow Donor Program)
every three minutes a 
person in the United States 
is diagnosed with a blood 
cancer, representing 12,000 
people annually. 
A bone marrow or blood stem 
cell transplant is their best chance for 
a cure. Although there are 41 million people 
already on the donor registry, 9 million in the 
United States alone and 400,000 just in Michigan, 
the chance of finding a suitable match from these 
databases ranges from 29-79%. 
Further, approximately 70% of all those in need 
of life-saving bone marrow transplants do not have 
a compatible family donor and must rely on an 
unrelated individual’s cells. Because tissue typing 
is inherited, in minority communities, such as the 
Jewish community, it is most important that the 
donor and recipient share an ethnic background. 

Ashkenazic Jews match with other Ashkenazic 
Jews. There are not enough Ashkenazim on the 
registry. The demand exceeds the supply. 
Time is of the essence in the treatment 
trajectory. Family and friends of Elaine and 
Lauren have stepped up to the plate to help 
find compatible donors. In collaboration with 
Friendship Circle and Temple Israel, we have 
partnered with NMDP to hold multiple donor 
registry events in our community.
NMDP staff and volunteers will be at each of the 
local registration events to answer questions, assist 
with swabbing and collect completed swab kits. 
These three opportunities will be:
 • Sunday, Sept. 1, at Walk for Friendship at the 
Farber Center starting at 10 a.m. and at a location 
in Oak Park (details pending) 4-6:30 p.m. 
• Monday, Sept. 2, at Temple Israel’s Labor Day 
Picnic starting at 10:30 a.m. 
There is no cost to swab and register.
NMDP has been in business for 
over 35 years and is the recognized 
leader in the field. At each of 
these three events, individuals 
can swab and register as 
a donor. There are donor 
criteria to follow. Donors 
must be ages 18-40, a resident 
of the U.S. and in relatively 
good health. There are some 
medical contraindications that 
may prevent some individuals 
from joining the registry. So, if 
you have any questions about your 
eligibility, please stop by the events to talk 
with NMDP. 
The answer to the original question posed in 
this article is easier than you think. What would 
you do to save a life? You can show up, sign up 
and swab. It’s that simple. Do it for Elaine and 
Lauren. Do it for pekuach nefesh. Do it to follow 
the Talmudic dictum. Perhaps, you will be the one 
to save a life. 

Rachel S Yoskowitz was the founding director of Project 

Chessed. She retired from Oakland University’s William 

Beaumont School of Medicine in 2020..

Rachel S. 
Yoskowitz

essay

To Save a Life …

Elaine is in 
need of a 
bone marrow 
transplant.

