Windsor’s eighth annual stem cell and bone marrow research bowl-a-thon takes place Saturday, August 24, 2013.
The Katelyn Bedard Bone Marrow Association will host Throw a Strike for the Gift of Life at the Bowlero Lanes, 675 Tecumseh Rd. W. this coming weekend.
Register at noon and play between 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. Registration fees are waived for adults who bring in pledges and for children under 12. Adults and kids over 12 with no pledges can bowl for $20.
The proceeds help families waiting for bone marrow or stem cell transplants and also support research at the University of Windsor and the University of Montreal.
Files: 2004 photo of Katelyn Bedard. (Courtesy of Bedard family)
For more information or to register, call 519-564-4119 or e-mail info@givemarrow.net. You can also register online on the KBBMA website and download pledge forms.
Katelyn Bedard died in 2005 when she was three years old after being diagnosed with leukemia and waiting – in vain – for a suitable bone marrow donor match. After her death, her family launched the foundation to help promote registering as a bone marrow donor and also help support stem cell research.
Katelyn’s mother Joanne told The Star last autumn more than 12,000 Canadians are diagnosed with blood cancers each year and could require a stem cell transplant. Only 25 per cent of them are likely to find a compatible donor in a sibling, she said.
Since launching in 2005, the foundation has since raised more than $280,000.
