3rd Annual New England Walk of Life Mobilizes Community

Walkathon Dedicated to Five-Year-Old Leukemia Patient Gabriel Aljalian

WATERTOWN, Mass.—The third annual New England Walk of Life of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) was held on Sept. 27 in Watertown. The festive walkathon garnered broad community support, with more than 250 supporters, including around 100 children and young adults and 22 local and national organizations taking part.

The Walk of Life followed a 2.2-mile route starting at the Armenian Cultural and Educational Center (ACEC) and ending in Watertown Square, where participants went on to enjoy great music, dancing, and food, along with thousands of people attending the annual town-sponsored Faire on the Square.

For the second consecutive year, the Armenian Business Network (ABN) team, led by ABN President Jack Antounian, took on the responsibility of marshaling the walk. “It is a great honor to be able to help in this worthy and very noble cause,” said Antounian, who also served as the event’s MC at the opening ceremony.

Nairi Krafian was awarded for having individually raised the most funds for the walkathon.

This year’s walkathon was dedicated to five-year-old leukemia patient Gabriel Aljalian, the son of Fr. Arakel and Yn. Natasha Aljalian of St. James Armenian Church of Watertown. Gabriel, a kindergartener at St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School, was diagnosed in 2012. He has since undergone therapy at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, and his leukemia is currently in remission,

“I can’t say enough about this child,” Natasha Aljalian said, referring to Gabriel’s courage while receiving debilitating chemo and steroid therapy, which will conclude in December. She also praised Gabriel’s classmates and teachers as well as the parishioners of St. James Armenian Church for their support. “When they saw him with no hair or extremely puffy, the St. James Sunday School and St. Stephen’s students alike were remarkable,” she said. “They just rolled with it. The kids have been so amazing for him.”

“Our motivation is a patient in need; I am so happy that Gabriel is in remission,” ABMDR President Dr. Frieda Jordan said. “The participation of so many young people, families, community leaders, and organizations in the walkathon makes our work all the more worthwhile. There are a lot of patients anxiously waiting to hear from us on that magic bone-marrow match. In fact, our patients are the driving force behind our organization. They give us the strength and energy we need to soldier on.”

Youth participation has been a key factor in the success of the New England Walk of Life. Heather Krafian, co-chair of the St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School Education Committee, said, “We believe in instilling strong community-service values in our students by supporting initiatives like the ABMDR walk and other local, national, and international causes. It was a special day for all our students, parents, and alumni as they participated in the walkathon.”

Walk of Life once again received major corporate sponsorship from the Dana Farber Cancer Institute. Other sponsors this year included the Armenian-American Pharmacists’ Association and Watertown Savings Bank. Thanks to their and the community’s support, the walkathon has raised more than $18,000 to date. “Walk of Life seeks both to raise awareness of the ABMDR mission and provide much-needed funds for testing and sorting swab samples,” Jordan said. “We want our walkathons to be grassroots events, with the participation of young families and schools, especially as leukemia and other life-threatening illnesses hit young people more.”

At the conclusion of the event, Tamar Minassian Melkonian of the Walkathon Support Group announced this year’s winners: St. James Armenian Church and ACYOA (Gabriel’s team) were recognized as the team that raised the most funds. Nairi Krafian won for having individually raised the most funds. And St. Stephen’s Elementary School was recognized as the team with the most members. Like last year, the prizes consisted of a new cluster of trees that will be planted in Armenia by the Armenian Tree Project (ATP), in honor of each winning team and individual. “We thank the ATP for this generous and thoughtful donation, which symbolizes the ‘gift of life,’” Minassian Melkonian said.

The St. Stephen’s Armenian Elementary School team.

Established in 1999, ABMDR, a non-profit organization, helps Armenians and non-Armenians worldwide survive life-threatening blood-related illnesses by recruiting and matching donors to those requiring bone marrow stem cell transplants. To date, the registry has recruited more than 26,000 donors in 22 countries across four continents, identified 3,150 patients, and facilitated 20 bone marrow transplants.

Photos courtesy of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry. For more information, call (323) 663-3609 or visit abmdr.am.