Ozzy Osbourne has set up a virtual donor drive to help find suitable bone marrow donors to fight against blood cancer.
The 69-year-old rocker has launched a drive on the website DKMS.org, which is a non-profit organisation dedicated to ending blood cancer and blood disorders, by raising awareness and recruiting life-saving bone marrow donors who will help give someone a chance of surviving their illness.
Ozzy’s page has been set up through his work with charity Love Hope Strength, which was founded by The Alarm frontman Mike Peters, who is himself a two-time cancer survivor.
A short statement from Ozzy on his virtual donor drive reads: "Please do me a favor and see if you are eligible to register with Love Hope Strength to be a life saving marrow donor for a potential patient in need of a bone marrow match! – Ozzy (sic)"
The Black Sabbath frontman also states that even if eager participants are eligible to donate their bone marrow, they can still get involved by volunteering at concerts and festivals to help sign up other potential donors.
His drive page reads: "Every 3 minutes, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with a blood cancer like leukemia or lymphoma. Many can be saved with a bone marrow transplant. Sadly, 6 out of 10 patients will never receive the lifesaving transplant they need. With your efforts, we can increase these odds and save more lives.
"Please join me in supporting patients in need by registering as a bone marrow donor. If you are not eligible to participate, and want to do more, you can support the effort by Volunteering at Concerts & Festivals to get others on the list, using the button below! (sic)"
Hopeful bone marrow donors must complete a cheek swab, which is then sent back to DKMS for testing, where successful matches will be registered as donors.
Information on the charity’s website reads: "Becoming a registered bone marrow donor is a quick and easy way to start a lifesaving journey. After answering a few pre-qualifying questions, a swab kit will be sent to anyone who registers on your page within 7-10 days. The kit will contain everything needed to swab their cheeks and send it back to DKMS to register as a potential donor. If someone is not eligible to register they can also support you by making a financial contribution directly on your page."
Ozzy’s page is also accepting monetary donations, however a disclaimer reads that they money is spread across DKMS, and will not go to Ozzy himself.
It says: "Though all financial gifts are GREATLY appreciated and go toward helping DKMS register more life-saving donors, these funds ARE NOT distributed directly to the entities or individuals represented on the Virtual Drive page. If you would like to donate to an individual, please do so directly. (sic)"
Ozzy Osbourne sets up virtual donor drive for bone marrow donors
