Photo by ISIphotos.com
After 11 seasons with six different teams, it is safe to call Jamaican playmaker Andy Williams an MLS lifer. His skill has dazzled countless fans and earned him a solid career of more than 300 games in MLS as well as for the Jamaican national team.
None of those games could have prepared him for the fight he and his family are enduring right now. Willams' wife Marcia is battling leukemia, a fight that has rallied a community to try and help the Williams family.
Like so many sufferers of leukemia, Marcia needs a bone marrow transplant to survive. Finding a matching donor is the key, which has led to donor testing drives across the country. For more information on the testing process, you can read this CNN story. If you are interested in becoming a marrow donor, you can go here.
A testing drive will take place at Rio Tinto Stadium in Salt Lake City on Thursday (TODAY), with drives scheduled for Feb. 20 in Tampa and Feb. 21-22 in Ft. Lauderdale in conjunction with Real Salt Lake's spring training visit to Florida.
For continued updates on the Williams family situation, and more information on testing drives, visit the Real Salt Lake team blog.
I went last night. It took about 5 minutes (including filling out the form.) If you haven’t done it yet, you should.
Finally MLS returns to Tampa! I’ll try to find a way to stop by and get tested 🙂
I’ll be there today!!
yeah guys giving a sample is super-easy… takes less than 5 minutes probably. If you haven’t done it yet, you definitely should.
as a former bone morrow donor, i hope someone is a match for her. Blood diseases our always trouble and hopefully she makes a full recovery
Already a donor and I wish I was a match for her.
Got my donor kit in the MAIL! It’s easy people! AND FREE for you cheap bastards.
Also donating doesn’t hurt nearly as much as people make it out to be. But even if it does, you know what hurts more?
Dying of cancer.
Sending my paperwork in today. I hope it can help.
I’d also like to encourage everyone to sign up. I registered during a drive in college and was matched to a patient a few years later. The whole marrow donor experience was simple, painless and one of the best things I’ve ever done.
I got you Andy & Marcia. 1love.
http://tinyurl.com/92dklv
Amid the myriad of health-related issues, this one is simple for everyone to do something about. As former Fire family, Marcia’s situation touched a good number of people in our organisation and supporters to the point that Section 8 Chicago organised a marrow donor drive at our post-holiday gathering and were able to swab about 60-80 people to screen for potential matches.
Your results are stored in a national bank until you are 61 and you can be a donor for anyone who suffers from Lukemia and needs a similr procedure to Marcia. There is only a 1,000 to 1 chance that you will be a match for someone–which is why it’s importatnt for potential donors to turn-out en masse.
We hope that all supporters groups and concerned fans/individuals will take it upon themselves to do something similar and together we can all take a hige step forward to (potentially) saving lives.
We hope for the Best for Andy & Marcia and their family.
I just requested info to register as a bone marrow donor. I’ve never done it before and it seems easy. Will other Soccer By Ives devotees join me?
The link is http://www.dkmsamericas.org/category/marrow-donors/become-donor to register.
I’ve been meaning to get to one of the bone marrow drives for her, I’m going to go tomorrow. Salt Lake loves the Williams family.
Our prayers are with Marcia and the Williams family.