Father and athlete Jason Kilderry is running the race of his lifetime to find a bone marrow match.
Community members will come together and swab their cheeks in hopes to find a lifesaving bone marrow donor for 35-year- old Jason Kilderry, a local father, athlete and life and fitness coach.
The drive will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2, at Haddonfield Running Company, 121 Kings Highway E., Haddonfield. Kilderry was recently diagnosed with Heptosplenic T-Cell lymphoma, a rare time of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, and a bone marrow transplant is his best chance at survival. Despite his health crisis, Kilderry continues to inspire those around him to make positive change through his coaching, consulting and public speaking.
“Each day we wake up with a choice on how to approach the day. I choose to continue the pursuit of loving my son, family, friends, education and occupation,” said Kilderry.
Unfortunately, Kilderry is no stranger to health struggles. In high school, he was diagnosed with polycystic kidney disease, which greatly affected his health and race performances. After years of surgeries and dialysis, a college teammate donated a kidney to Jason and saved his life. Now, Jason is hoping for another donation from a stranger — a bone marrow donation — that will allow him to see his son grow up. According to DKMS, 70 percent of people suffering from blood-related illnesses must rely on donors outside their families to save their life.
Swabbing your cheek is all it takes to register as a potential donor. For more information on DKMS, to register or fund the mission, please visit www.dkms.org.
