Fort Lupton’s Dale’s Pharmacy, 237 Denver Ave., is hosting a Bone Marrow Donor Drive from 2 to 6 p.m., Nov. 12.
    Pharmacist Huy Duong said this drive is an important way for residents of Fort Lupton to find out who can donate marrow in the case of a life-threatening illness.
    “I think as a community, we should gather up and know there are resources out there for a parent who has a kid that is stricken by something like this,” Duong said.  “This strikes adults as well.  We do have adults in this community this strikes. It would be overwhelming for any parent to find out their kid has leukemia.”
    Duong said that many people here the term “bone marrow” and immediately think the procedure of the donor drive will be complicated and invasive.  He said the procedure is an easy swab that collects information to form a registry of possible donors in the area.
    Every 5 minutes someone is diagnosed with blood cancer and every 10 minutes, blood cancer takes a precious life. Furthermore, children are the group most widely affected by leukemia and a bone marrow transplant may be their only hope for a second chance at life.
    Every year, more than 10,000 men, women and children could benefit from a bone marrow transplant. About 70 percent of patients must rely on an unrelated donor to offer them this precious gift of life.
    Currently, only 3 out of 10 patients will receive the transplant that could save their life.
    Finding a compatible donor is the largest barrier in saving the lives of those with blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma. It is always a challenge given that certain tissue traits of the donor and the recipient must match.
    For information, call the pharmacy at 303-857-6266.