For those of you who don’t know there is a huge drive to increase the south asian bone marrow registery. The story of Pia and Tim has been on many south asian public healt hlists.
PIa and Tim beecame engaged last year but then discovered Pia’s leukemia had come back. In the last year they have been looking for a donor and found one earlier this year. Their wedding was last month and their wedding story will be in NY times this sunday.The following is the most recent letter.
Dear Matchpia.org Supporters,
I happy to inform you all, that we FINALLY did it!!! Yes, Pia and tied
the knot on July 30, in downtown Tribecca New York. The ceremony and
reception was remarkable, one that we will cherish all our lives. As the
reception started, we took the opportunity to remind everyone that our
celebration was not just a celebration of “Love and Life”, but the
celebration of the “Circle of Life”.
For this day was celebrated by all those who were physically there, and
all those patients that passed away during their journey, and who we
have become to love (Nisha, Sagarika, Gurdeep, as our own family. With this somber tone, we reminded everyone why
it was so IMPORTANT to get registered in the NMDP Registry.
In this Sunday’s issue of the New York Times “Fashion and Style”
section, will have coverage of Pia’s story and our wedding. I hope all you
will be able to get a copy this Sunday. In addition, we are working on
several new television and print pieces that will describe how Pia’s
plight has now become a national and global cause to save all those
patients in need of a donor match. These programs will depict a patient’s
plight and how they run into the ineffective ” Bureaucracy and Red Tape”,
and LACK of support from the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), in
their time of need.
Again, I and Pia personally thank you all for supporting us th Again, I and Pia personally thank you all for supporting us this past
year as we continue this life long crusade, and also helping us achieve
this monumental task of saving her and all the other patient’s lives.
YES, we have come a long way from the day when the **Chief Operating
Officer at NMDP told me “You will never find a match for Pia, just spend
whatever time you have left with her…together”
**
Tim Dutta
“It Only Takes One Match to Save a Life”