Broken Thoughts

If you live in the midwest, more specifically within driving distance of Omaha, Nebraska, there is a martial arts demonstration fundraiser going on this weekend put on by several martial arts masters, my sensei included.  This is open to anyone from any art who would like an opportunity to train with many great martial artists in arts from around the world.  The purpose of this event is to help raise money for a 14 year old boy with leukemia. Besides the martial arts demonstrations, there will be a garage sale and a bake sale.

Here is a message from Greg from the website.

“I have leukemia, a cancer of the blood. I underwent chemotherapy for 2 ½ years starting in May of 2000. I was in remission for fifteen months and then had a relapse. I underwent another 2 ½ years of chemo because a bone marrow donor was not found. I was in remission for 17 months after that chemo; unfortunately, the leukemia relapsed just after Thanksgiving this year 2007. This means that it is very resistant to chemo and is considered VERY HIGH RISK. The best chance for a cure for this disease is a stem-cell or bone marrow transplant. You can learn about Greg at www.greghatchey.com.

Well I’ve found a couple of cord blood units…but read on.

Translated: that means I’ll be in Seattle for awhile (possibly up to a year).

I’m told that the likelihood of finding a match for me is like winning the lottery, but in the last couple of years, they have made some significant advances with cord blood.”

-www.greghatchey.com

This is a very good cause, and if you are in the Omaha area, please take the afternoon to support this family. If you would like to help Greg and do not live in the Omaha area, you can donate via their website. Also, they are in need of donors. You can register at a local bone marrow organization to become a donor. Unfortunately, there are very few bone marrow donors, and finding a match for Greg will be very difficult.

Here is an e-mail my sensei sent me about the event.

Bellevue, NE - March 28-29, 2008 - Ten martial arts instructors from different schools around the Omaha area will be giving demonstrations and seminars to raise money to help teenager with cancer. This two-day event features martial arts masters from several disciplines developed all over the world. This will be something that can provide entertainment as well as education for all interested. Anyone from spectator to martial arts master can benefit from this event.

This event is for Greg Hachey, the youngest son of Mark
Hachey, one of Phillip “Pete” Starr’s senior students. Greg has
leukemia. This seminar will raise funds to help defray medical
and living expenses for the Hachey family while Greg is undergoing treatments for his disease. For more details, please visit www.greghatchey.com.

When:
Friday, March 28th Register at 6:30pm for Demonstrations
That night will be a demo night where each instructor will be given about 15-20 minutes of time to demonstrate their style. This will let people decide which styles they are most interested in learning.
Sat., March 29th Register at 8:00am, Training - 8:30 - 6:00 pm
Each instructor will get 1 hour 30 minutes to teach. There will be two teaching sessions on the mat at the same time.

Where: Mark Goblowsky’s Martial Arts School 2012 Cornhusker Rd., Bellevue, NE

Featuring Top Instructors from the Omaha Area

Sifu Phillip “Pete” Starr (Yiliquan Kung-Fu)
Sensei John Kerker (Isshin-ryu Karate)
Sensei Ron Christenham (Aikido)
Sensei Mike Makoid (Judo)
Senseis Kyle and Kevin Watson (Kaju-ryu Jujutsu)
Sensei Wes Shockley (Cuong Nhu, Massage Techniques)
Sensei Brad Marshall (Kenpo)
Sensei Lyle Lazure (Aikido)
Sensei Eric McKillican (Shinkendo)
Sabonim Dan McCarthy (Taekwondo, Arnis)

Cost: Participants $50; Spectators: $25
All proceeds will be given to the Greg Hachey Fund.

You will need: Sweat Towel and a bokken if you have one
Money for our bake sale!!!

Anyone and everyone interested in martial arts are welcome. Attendees will get a chance to be part of five seminars for the price of one. This is a great cause and a one-of-a-kind martial arts experience. You can go online and read about Greg’s courage in his battle against leukemia. Also, there is a link for those who cannot attend the event in Omaha but still wish to donate.

Background Story:

Fourteen-year-old Greg Hachey, the youngest son of Mark and Cora Hachey of Puyallup, WA is fighting for his life, as family and friends search desperately for a bone marrow and/or peripheral stem-cell donor that is a match for him. Greg suffers from Relapse Acute pre-B cell Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL), for which the only known cure is a peripheral stem-cell donation (much like giving blood i.e., a simple procedure where stems cells are removed from the donor’s blood and the rest is returned to the donor or bone marrow transplant (a fairly simple surgical procedure) from a suitable donor. The son of a Caucasian father and a Filipino mother, Greg’s search for a suitable match has been complicated by the nature of his bone marrow tissue type matching. The complication stems from the lack of Asians, particularly Filipinos not being registered, as bone marrow donors.
Because tissue type varies by ethnicity, Greg’s matching donor will most likely be found among people like himself, i.e., people with one parent being Caucasian and the other Filipino and/or full blooded Filipino. Nonetheless, there is a chance that others of Asian heritage may also be a donor match for Greg, i.e., an individual with one parent that is Caucasian and the other being Chinese, Japanese, Korean, etc. Who knows a full-blooded Filipino, Asian Pacific Islander (API), Chinese, Japanese, Korean etc., may be his perfect match? “Time may be running out, for our son unless a bone marrow match can be found soon”, stated Greg’s father. He further pleaded, “This is why my wife and I are praying that those in the Asian community, as well as those that may have at least one parent that is Asian, especially Filipino, Chinese, Japanese etc., please help us to save Greg, as time is running out.” “I am sad that my life is being threatened by a random disease. I am far more saddened by the possibility of being separated forever, from my family, and from my many friends,” said Greg in May when his leukemia reached a crisis stage, giving him only months to find a match. Despite efforts of family and friends, Greg’s search for a marrow donor has been unsuccessful.
“Just as we inherit our eyes, hair, and skin color, we inherit our bone marrow in the same manner. When a patient is looking for a donor, his best possible chance to find a suitable donor is through his own ethnic community,” says Greg’s Dad. In addition, the Asian American Donor Program, one of three recruitment programs in the country focusing on Asian Americans has informed the Hachey family that the small number of Asian Americans listed in the National Marrow Donor Program registry makes Greg’s search extremely difficult. Greg’s family and friends have launched an international campaign to raise awareness about the lack of Asian donors and to register as many Asians as possible in the hope that one will match Greg. One particularly successful effort has been the creation of a web site www.greghatchey.com, which has been visited by several wishing to learn more about Greg’s need for help.
News of Greg’s situation needs to spread across the globe through the web site, mass e-mail distribution, and reporting in the local, international, and ethnic media. Greg’s family prays that more Asians and those with Asian parents especially Filipino will register, as soon as possible with a bone marrow organization. Their hope is that the more that do so will hopefully provide the miracle they are praying for to save their son’s life. Their hope is that across the country, marrow typing drives will be organized on Greg’s behalf, by people with compassionate hearts who don’t even know him, who have learned about his situation and simply want to get involved.
Registering as a marrow donor is a simple process. Potential donors give a small sample of blood that is tested for its tissue type and entered into a national registry. In the event of a match, donated marrow is extracted in a simple surgical procedure at a site convenient for the donor. Greg’s parents stated, “Because of the time delay involved in testing and entering new donors in the national registry, it is important to act now, if we’re going to save Greg’s life.” “It only takes one person,” says Greg’s loving parents, “That person is out there somewhere. It’s just a matter of finding them.”

UPDATE: (April 3, 200

I just wanted to let everyone know that the event was a success and there was a great turnout. A lot of money was raised to help the Hatchey family, but unfortunately they still need help. Please be sure to check out their website for updates on Greg’s status.