PULLMAN, Wash.–The plight of San Francisco researcher Alan Kuo, battling for his life with leukemia, is the impetus for marrow donor and blood drives at Washington State University in the Compton Union Building.
Blood samples will be drawn for marrow matches at WSU on Friday, Oct. 17, 9:30 a.m.-3:30 p.m. in CUB 125-127; Tuesday, Oct. 21, 10 a.m.-5 p.m., and Wednesday, Oct. 22, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., both in the CUB Carey Ballroom. The Oct. 21-22 draws, sponsored by the WSU Rho Nu Nursing Club, will also be for blood units. All draws will be conducted by the Inland Northwest Blood Center of Spokane.
Kuo, 33, San Francisco, has only a few months to live if a bone marrow match is not found for him, said Esther Louie, WSU Multicultural Counseling Services assistant director, who helped set up the Oct. 17 event. The story of Kuo, who is Chinese American, “touched the hearts of a lot of us here at WSU,” she said. Information about Kuo has been spread internationally via the Internet. Stories about him have also been carried by the news media, including Asian American newspapers.
The National Marrow Donor Program registry lists 2.8 million donors, most are Caucasian. ” The focus of our blood draws for marrow matching at WSU is to increase the number of people of color in the registry. We welcome everyone to participate,” said Louie. “Perhaps in our draw there will be a marrow match for Alan and his life will be saved.”
Kuo is a biomedical researcher at the University of California at San Francisco, the same medical center treating him for leukemia.
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