Project Michelle representatives Meeka Wu and Young Yuk at the Nihonmachi Street Fair on Aug. 10. Photo by J.K. Yamamoto

In an effort to save the life of 26-year-old Michelle Maykin, her supporters have been appearing at Asian American community events throughout California and across the country, urging people to register with the National Marrow Donor Program.

Maykin, a graduate of UC Berkeley and an advisory senior associate at KPMG, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia in February 2007. She underwent chemotherapy for seven months but relapsed last May. Finding a bone marrow match is now a life-or-death matter.

In order for a marrow transplant to be successful, there must be a tissue match between patient and donor. The patient’s family members are tested first, and if no match is found, the best place to look is among people of the same ethnicity or race as the patient. Organizations have been formed in Northern and Southern California to increase the number of Asian Americans on the national registry of potential donors.

Over the past two weekends, volunteers for Project Michelle have been seeking potential donors at such events as the Nihonmachi Street Fair in San Francisco, San Lorenzo Japanese Christian Church’s 3 on 3 Hoops Classic, and Nisei Week in Los Angeles. Upcoming events on the team’s schedule include the Oakland Chinatown Streetfest on Aug. 23 and 24 and the Midori Kai boutique in Mountain View on Sept. 13.

“The first step in becoming a hero requires a cheek swab and 10 minutes of your time,” said a Project Michelle spokesperson. “If you are a match, the transplant can often be done entirely through the blood.

“We have less than a month to find a match for Michelle. The outcome is simple — someone lives because of your donation. You could be the one to save Michelle, or one of thousands of other people like her.”

For more information, visit www.projectmichelle.com or www.marrow.org.
To see a list of upcoming donor drives, go to www.projectmichelle.com/drives.html. Registration is limited to people 18 to 60 years of age.

To receive a home kit, go to www.projectmichelle.com/kit.html.