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The National Marrow Donor Program's Office of Patient Advocacy receives

$1.5 million award to help cancer survivors like Ryan

MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 25 /PRNewswire/ -- Ryan Jacobs of Shakopee, Minn., has been a cancer survivor most of his life. Diagnosed with acute myelogenous leukemia at just 5 months old, Ryan's family was told he needed a bone marrow or cord blood transplant to survive.

Ryan received a successful cord blood transplant after his doctor searched the National Marrow Donor Program's(R) (NMDP) Registry and found a matching donor. Transplant recovery is a slow process, but this tenacious young boy pulled through and has been a cancer survivor now for five years.

FINDING SUPPORT FOR LIFE AFTER CANCER

After a bone marrow or cord blood transplant, most survivors have some long-term side effects or complications. Some of these disappear over time; others are permanent. While some complications are fairly easy to manage, other long-term effects can be serious or painful.

"As a growing number of transplant patients like Ryan live longer, there is a vital need for comprehensive advocacy and resources for the survivor community," said Beth Murphy, director of the NMDP's Office of Patient Advocacy.

The NMDP's Office of Patient Advocacy recently received an esteemed $1.5 million award from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) to further provide support, educate and promote the importance and issues surrounding long-term cancer survivorship. With this five-year award, the NMDP's Office of Patient Advocacy plans to:

-- expand the NMDP's existing survivorship programs;

-- develop partnerships with other national, patient-focused organizations

and resources;

-- focus on providing resources for patients from medically under-served

communities; and

-- increase access to programs and resources to promote and protect

survivors' health.

Today, 5-year-old Ryan feel
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