Overview

The South Asian Students' Alliance has for many years been a part of this amazing cause. Each year hundreds of students register at the Annual Conference so that they have a chance to save a life. The Bone Marrow Drive at the SASA Conference has become a focal point of the weekend where students have an opportunity to give back to the community of which they are a part of.

Take a look at these faces... and read their stories.

Leena is a 28 year old mother of one who is in urgent need of a marrow/blood cell transplant. She was diagnosed in September 2005 and has been on a strict medical regiment, but her greatest chance of survival is from a matched marrow/blood cell transplant.

Anand's picture is a perfect example of the idea that looks can be deceiving. Here he looks happy and playful and it is hard to accept that he is a 21 month old boy who has been recently diagnosed with AML. Anand loves playing catch with his brother and spending time outdoors. He, like all AML patients, needs a matched transplant and must rely on the compassion of volunteer marrow/blood cell donors to be cured of this dreaded disease. We need to recruit as many potential donors as possible to provide Anand and all other patients with a second chance at life.

Naren was diagnosed with non-Hodgkin's Lymphoma seven years ago, at age 29. Since then, he has undergone five different treatment regimens, most recently a combination of high-dose radiation, high-dose chemotherapy, and a transplant of his own blood stem cells. Sadly, his disease has relapsed each time. So we must act quickly to find a donor for a bone marrow or stem cell transplant. He has not found a match yet. By registering with the national registry as a volunteer marrow blood stem cell donor, you can give him the precious gift of time, and the chance to live out his dreams.

Nirali is an 18-month old girl who is suffering from a rare type of Acute Lymphoblast Lymphoma. She is currently undergoing therapy but a bone marrow transplant presents the best chance to save her life.


Pushpinder is a beautiful 15 year old student who was diagnosed with ALL. After receiving an award for having the highest average of any student in her school, she was looking forward to her spring break and further schooling. Doctors have told her that the best way to truly be able to "cure" her Leukemia, she needs a successful bone marrow transplant. As of now, none of her family members have come up as a good match. She is now doing an extensive search of the NMDP and International Registries.