Why Donors Give

"I give to AA&MDSIF because they were there for me when my daughter was diagnosed. I also want to help anyone else that finds themselves in the same situation that I was in.  I am forever grateful and indebted to all the people that talked to me, gave me advice, and shared their experiences. Giving back is just a small way I can start to repay all those people."

"The experience of having someone you love be diagnosed with a rare disease is so profoundly difficult you want to help others get through more easily than you did. It's not a disease you hear about everyday -- and it immediately sounds catastrophic. When you come across AA/MDS and realize that other people have it and live their lives, that there's a good network out there and doctors who know and have successfully treated the disease, it moves one from grief to hope.  I give to increase hope."

"I participate in the AA&MDSIF to give back to the community that helped me when I was first diagnosed in October 1996.  I was hungry for information and got a lot of it from the Foundation.  I also found a caring group that provided support and helped me meet other patients in a similar situation.  Knowing you're not alone on the journey through a bone marrow disease lessens the burden and speeds the recovery.  We have to work together to find the cures."

"The primary reason I give to the AA&MDSIF is, as a long-time patient, I know what it means to find something when you are diagnosed with AA - a resource for reliable information and someone to talk to. I know that because there was nothing to be found when I was diagnosed in August 1980. There was no foundation, no patient/family conference, no national registry of bone marrow donors, no Web site (no internet!), no listserv, no hope.  I am part of what patients and families can find to give them hope for the future and I am part of the mechanism that will one day make the need for the AAMDSIF nonexistent."

"I give time and money to AA&MDSIF because I am committed to the Foundation's mission and:

• want to support the ongoing search for cures through research
• want to support the operation of the Foundation to maintain its goal to help facilitate information/education to patients
• want to support the communication between patients, the Medical Board, and Foundation's Patient Services information repository
• want to support the success of the Foundation's ability to develop a comprehensive patient registry to assure the Foundation's goals are better served because I am grateful to the Foundation for the information and "handholding" extended to me when I needed help
• because of the compassion of the President, Director and the staff at the Foundation who provide personalized responses and guidance when needed
• because I received timely responses directly from medical doctors and members of the Medical Board
• because the organization did not ask for a cent, while providing an abundance of information to  me
• because the Foundation is made up of people who unconditionally care about all patients"

"I give to AA&MDSIF because it is a way of honoring both of my parents, both of whom succumbed to Aplastic Anemia at a time when there were no treatments or hope, and no one to talk to about the disease, patient struggles, or the sense of helplessness family members felt. AA&MDSIF is a ray of hope for patients, families, and caregivers. It is serious about the business of finding cures and offering support to patients and family. I also give to AA&MDSIF because it is run by highly committed and very talented staff, backed by a committed Board of Directors whose members have each been touched in some way by bone marrow disease and, therefore, have a deep commitment to the mission of the organization. Management of the Foundation is effective and carefully run; custodianship of the funds donated is conscientious and watchful.  I don't have to worry about where my donations are going; I know the Foundation is working hard every day to find a cure and providing concrete patient support."

"Prior to my son being diagnosed with Aplastic Anemia, I had never heard of this disease before. I was scared, shocked and felt helpless. I will never forget the support we received from the Foundation, their web-site, and the ability to connect to other parents through the Foundation called to share their stories and give us hope. We can't find a cure alone, we can't raise awareness and funds alone, we need to support the Foundation so that they have the resources and backing to do this for us, and those to come."

"I lost my mother to Myelodysplastic Syndrome in January 2004.  She battled the disease for over five years and demonstrated bravery through the end.  The Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation helped my mother and our family comprehend and come to terms with her Myelodysplastic Syndrome.  From my experience with bone marrow diseases I feel that only through continued research and education will we truly understand the complexities of Aplastic Anemia and MDS, find new and promising treatments, and ultimately prevent the causes.  It is for these reasons that I give back to the Aplastic Anemia & MDS International Foundation."

"When a family is faced with a life-threatening illness, especially a rare one about relatively little is known, accurate information becomes a lifeline. For our family, AA&MDSIF was that lifeline. They sent valuable information and helped direct us to one of the leading specialists in the field. That help literally saved my then 5 year old daughter's life. We had been told she had 4 weeks to live. She'll soon turn 9. That is why I support the Aplastic Anemia and MDS International Foundation and that's why I always will. I hope we never NEED them again, but it's comforting to know they'll be there if we do. It's also comforting to know they continue to be there for others who are facing the same frightening void we did just a few short years ago."