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Fundraiser to help bone marrow transplant patient Huong Nguyen |
| Burlington, Vt., Jan. 25, 2010 – Huong Nguyen is fighting for her life. Doctors say a bone marrow transplant is critical to her survival. |
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| Publish Date: 09:43PM 01/25/10 |
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Burlington, Vt., Jan. 25, 2010 – Huong Nguyen is fighting for her life. Doctors say a bone marrow transplant is critical to her survival.
Nguyen, 35, first noticed she was ill when she experienced recurrent flu-like symptoms and bruising. In January 2009, was diagnosed with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). After three months in the hospital, doctors said she was in remission, but the leukemia returned in October. Her doctors say a bone marrow transplant is her only hope.
A refugee from Vietnam, Nguyen came to the United States in 1995 after being persecuted for her Catholic faith. She and her husband, Dung, have two young sons, but her declining health and low energy make it difficult for her to spend quality time with her children like she did before she became ill.
The bone marrow transplant is expected to cost approximately $250,000, and that is only the beginning. Even with health insurance, Nguyen faces significant expenses related to her transplant. She will need follow-up care and medications to ensure her body accepts the new bone marrow. After she receives the transplant, she and her caregiver will be required to relocate to Massachusetts to be closer to the transplant center for 4-6 weeks, adding to her financial strain.
Nguyen turned to the National Foundation for Transplants (NFT) for assistance in alleviating some of these financial burdens. NFT is a nonprofit organization that helps patients raise funds to pay for transplant-related expenses.
“We work with patients like Huong every day,” said Lauren Wilmer, NFT fundraising consultant. “It’s heartbreaking to see this young family facing such overwhelming financial burdens during this stressful and emotional time. At NFT, we’re helping Huong raise the necessary funds so she can focus on her health.”
Nguyen’s challenges extend beyond the financial obstacles. Because she is of Vietnamese descent, she will face increased difficulties finding a bone marrow donor match. There is an extreme shortage of Vietnamese donors on the bone marrow registry, and transplant success rates are greatly increased when donors and recipients share the same ethnicity.
Volunteers are planning a fundraiser dinner Saturday, Feb. 6 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. at McClure Multi-Generational Center, 241 North Winooski Ave. The Vietnamese feast will include egg rolls, soup and stir fry with rice. Vegetarian options will be available.
Admission is a suggested donation of $10 for adults and $5 for children 12 and younger, but additional donations are encouraged and appreciated. For more information, please contact Meghan O’Rourke at 802-865-0120 or Siobhan Donegan at 802-864-0984.
To make a tax-deductible donation in honor of Nguyen, please send a contribution to the NFT Vermont Bone Marrow Fund, 5350 Poplar Ave., Suite 430, Memphis, TN 38119. Please be sure to write “in honor of Huong Nguyen” on the memo line. Secure donations also can be made online at www.transplants.org. Donors should click on “Patients We Help” to locate Nguyen.
About NFT
NFT is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization based in Memphis, Tenn. that has been helping transplant patients overcome financial obstacles since 1983. NFT provides fundraising expertise and advocacy to transplant patients by organizing fundraising campaigns in the patients’ own communities.
NFT currently assists more than 1,000 transplant candidates and recipients nationwide. For more information about NFT, please call 800-489-3863 or visit www.transplants.org.
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