LOS ANGELES — On August 13, 2023, the Armenian Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ABMDR) conducted a donor recruitment drive in Los Angeles to help save the life of Rev. Harut Khachatryan, senior pastor at United Armenian Congregational Church (UACC).
Khachatryan, 39, is suffering from leukemia, a life-threatening illness. He may urgently need a bone marrow stem cell transplant, which requires a matched donor.
The recruitment drive, which was organized jointly by UACC, ABMDR and Rev. Khachatryan’s family, took place at the hall of the church.
Prior to the recruitment drive, during church service, ABMDR president Dr. Frieda Jordan addressed the congregants. She familiarized them with the mission of ABMDR as well as the simple, painless process of becoming a donor, and urged every healthy person between the ages of 18 and 50 to register with ABMDR as a potential bone marrow stem cell donor.
“Being a donor is a wonderful opportunity to bring hope to someone,” Dr. Jordan said. “Imagine, you could be the one who saves Rev. Harut’s life, or the life of any of the numerous Armenian patients who are currently waiting for their hero: a matched donor who will enable them to have a life-saving transplant.”
The congregation responded enthusiastically to Jordan’s appeal, as a total of 80 individuals registered as potential bone marrow stem cell donors.
