The Civilitas Foundation, in collaboration with the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry, hosted a 'Be a Donor, Save a Life!’ drive at the Civilitas office in central Yerevan. The turnout for the first drive, which was held last week, was so impressive that it inspired the participants to repeat the event.

“There are so many people whose life depends on finding a matching bone marrow donor and so few people know about it,” said Gayane Selimyan, an intern at Civilitas. “I am very glad that many people are ready to be donors as soon as they learn about it.”

The reason for the Civilitas participation is not only humanitarian. It also has to do with the story of Civilitas intern, Olivia Katrandjian, whose mother is suffering from lymphoma, an aggressive and unpredictable form of blood cancer. At this point, her only chance for a cure is a bone marrow transplant. In order to perform this procedure, the doctors need a blood donor who is a genetic match, but currently, there are no registered donors who qualify. The best chance of finding a match is another Armenian, and so Olivia has been working with the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry to increase the number of Armenian registrants in the system.

“This Friday is my birthday and the only thing I want this year is to find a match for my mother,” said Olivia. “But it’s about more than that – 1300 Armenians are in need of a matching donor, including a four-year old girl in Philadelphia. It’s so easy to sign up, why not help?”

Joining the registry is simple - it requires only a cotton swab to collect some cheek cells from the inside of your mouth. “Some people were scared of the idea that they were going to give blood thinking that they would lose "tons of it," but it is actually so simple,” said Tatevik Teroyan, an intern at Civilitas. “Many of them, after being explained what it means to be a donor, eagerly registered and even called their friends and relatives to come.”

“It was hilarious to approach people in the streets and tell them that there are thousands of people waiting for a single chance to stay alive and receive in return their appreciation and willingness to help,” said Mane Gevorgyan, an intern at Civilitas. “If 10 years ago somebody organized such an event, my mom's life could have been also saved.”

“Our initiative this Friday reminded me of an idea,” said Ani Navasdaryan, a staff member at Civilitas. “I don’t remember where I read it, but I really like it: ‘never doubt that a small group of thoughtful people can change the world. Indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.’ And I want all people to believe in that.”