ABMDR New England to celebrate 11th annual Walk of Life

WATERTOWN, Mass. – On September 24th, the Armenian community of New England will come together in support of the 11th annual Walk of Life of the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR). Every year, the beloved pan-Armenian event in Watertown draws an enthusiastic number of community members, young people and students from area schools and colleges. Community organizations and public figures also lend their support.

Established in 1999, ABMDR, a non-profit organization, helps save lives by recruiting and providing matched unrelated donors for bone marrow or stem cell transplantation to all Armenian and non-Armenian patients worldwide who are suffering from leukemia and other life-threatening blood related illnesses. Due to the unique genetic make-up of Armenians, it is nearly impossible to find suitable matches among the existing international registries. That’s why the work of the ABMDR is important in establishing a registry that would help facilitate recruiting and identifying matched unrelated bone marrow donors.

Over the past 11 years, the Walk of Life in New England has received support and sponsorship from several large and small businesses, including PROMETRIKA LLC of Cambridge, the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, the Armenian-American Pharmacists’ Association (AAPA), Watertown Savings Bank, ThermOil Inc, Quebrada Baking Company, the Armenia Tree Project and St. James Armenian Apostolic Church.

The walkathon’s opening ceremony will be held on the grounds of St. James Charles Mosesian

Cultural & Youth Center on September 24 at 11 a.m. and will conclude at Faire on the Square in Watertown Square, where participants will gather to celebrate the day’s achievements and enjoy music, dancing and food.

The funds raised at the walk and all other donations go a long way to ensure ABMDR stays loyal to its mission, by educating the public, recruiting donors and thus building a robust donor registry and facilitating bone marrow stem cell transplants for patients worldwide.