Press Release | November 17, 2016
Join the Be The Match registry at the Ontario EnduroCross donor drive.
(November 16, 2016) – Destry Abbott’s world was forever changed when he received a diagnosis of leukemia in May 2016. Since then the 10-time national desert racing champion has been facing the challenge of a lifetime against the terrible disease. Six months later, Destry is on the tail end of his treatment, and is thrilled with the news that he will NOT require a bone marrow transplant – as many leukemia patients do. But true to form, Destry is already looking for ways to use his own experience to help others, and to that end, is asking for your support in a Be The Match® bone marrow donor drive at the final round of AMA EnduroCross Series in Ontario, California.
“My family and I are so relieved that things are looking really good and I won’t need a bone marrow transplant,” said Abbott. “This means after the first week of December I’ll be done with my treatments and can get back to everyday stuff (like riding)! But there are a lot of people who aren’t so lucky in their fight against leukemia and we’re looking to help the cause by getting people to register with the Be The Match foundation at the Ontario EnduroCross.”
Be The Match is a registry donor organization that helps people diagnosed with leukemia find matching donors. Leukemia is a type of cancer that affects the blood, bone marrow and lymphoid system. It is a treatable cancer but matching donors need to be found for bone marrow transplants.
Be The Match is the same foundation that helped Kim McGrath, wife of seven-time Supercross Champion Jeremy McGrath, find her bone marrow donor and ultimately win her fight with leukemia.
Through cooperation with Destry Abbott’s DA8 Strong team, Be The Match will be on location at the Citizen’s Business Bank Arena at the final round of the AMA EnduroCross Series on Saturday, November 19 from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. in the pit area and from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. in the concourse of the arena.
Registering is easy and can be done at the event, or can be done by ordering a kit online at http://join.marrow.org/endurocross. Be The Match asks for healthy volunteers between 18 and 44 years of age. Registering is quick and simple, and involves running a swab on the inside of your cheek to determine your tissue type.
“We look forward to helping raise awareness for this cause, and we hope to help save some lives by finding matches for other patients,” said Destry. “Thank you in advance to everyone for joining us. And as always, I have to thank this incredible industry for so much support for me and my family. We’re looking forward to having this fight behind us very soon.”
Find out more about Be The Match®, operated by the National Bone Marrow Program® (NMDP), at https://bethematch.org/.
Find out more about the AMA EnduroCross series and the final round this weekend at www.EnduroCross.com.
