With one of the largest Greek communities on the planet, there may be a miracle worker in Queens.
Thespina Pontisakos, 52, is a wife and mother from Huntington, Long Island who has been diagnosed with leukemia and needs a bone marrow transplant. She needs a matching donor of Greek descent, but has not yet found a match.
Cancer patients require frequent blood transfusions, as treatment often destroys healthy blood cells along with diseased ones. Chemotherapy and radiation treatments require platelet replenishment and leukemia patients also need blood transfusions due to bone marrow failures.
On Sunday, April 25, from 11:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., a blood drive will be held to benefit Pontisakos at St. Paraskevi Greek Orthodox Church Community Center at One Shrine Place in Greenlawn, Long Island.
Almost any healthy person (under 17 year olds need parental consent; over 75 need a doctor’s note) who weighs more than 110 pounds can donate blood – which, when separated into its components (red cells, platelets, plasma), can save up to three lives.
Blood donors can also register for the “Be The Match Registry” to become a potential marrow donor, a simple process that takes just a few minutes of paperwork and a cheek swab. For more information about becoming a marrow donor, call 800-MARROW-2 (800-627-7692).
To find out about blood drives, call 800-933-2566 or visit www.nybloodcenter.org.
