My Mom: A Supermodel gets the press she deserves in her search for a bone marrow donor
A couple days ago, my Mom learned what models have being saying for years now, normally to deaf ears: Being a model isn’t easy.
But my Mom is a natural and her beauty stole the show as she and our upcoming donor drive was featured on a front-page story by the Victorville Daily Press. You can click here or click the photo to see the story, which was well-written by Beatriz E. Valenzuela. Reneh Agha was the photographer and he made my Mom feel at ease during the shoot, which was held at the California Route 66 Museum, where our donor drive will be held on March 29.
As well as capturing the spirit of our drive, Valenzuela did a very good job of pointing out how important it is for people of all ethnicities to get on the bone marrow registry. Being a different race does not preclude one from being a match from someone of another race, but the percentages favor someone of the same race being the perfect match.
For better information on that, and a great deal of information on Bone Marrow transplants and the need for donors in general, head over to Emru Townsend’s site. Townsend is of African-Caribbean descent, and he’s quite well aware of how ethnicity plays a part in the donation process and the need for ethnic donors. Like my Mom, Emru needs a bone marrow transplant to live.
I’d like to thank the Victorville Daily Press (where I once worked many moons back) for helping my Mom and helping us tell people about the drive and the need for bone marrow donors. I’d really appreciate if you took a visit to their site to see the story (which includes a couple controversial and colorful quotes from yours truly) and give them some of the love they showed my Mom, as well as everyone searching for that perfect match.
–WKW
March 29th, 2008 at 3:19 pm
It was wonderful to meet you and your brave and amazing mother, Barbara. You were all so kind to me. Thank you.
March 31st, 2008 at 8:50 pm
I was overwhelmed with your mother’s courage on Saturday. In the midst of the bone marrow drive and putting up with a pesty writer, your mom was busy being a loving and caring grandmother. What a beautiful person.
~Courage is described by Merriam Webster as the mental or moral strength to venture, persevere, and withstand danger, fear, or difficulty. What the dictionary doesn’t show is a photo of Barbara Wolfrum next to their definition. Perhaps that oversight will be corrected soon.~