Genny's Hope Foundation

Genny's Hope Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, fully incorporated in the state of Colorado. We proudly partner with DKMS, an international center, and Be the Match, the U.S. national registry, to increase the bone marrow donor registries.

Mission

Our mission is to increase the number of committed enrollments on the bone marrow donor registry by generating awareness, interest, and the desire of donors to test and register. We recruit new bone marrow/stem cell donors and help them get enrolled at Be the Match, the U.S. registry, or DKMS, an international center. Money raised is used to offset costs for lab processing of cheek swab kits and to raise awareness for the need to increase donor registrations.

Transplants Save Lives -- But a Match is Needed

Approximately every four minutes one person in the United States is diagnosed with a blood cancer and every 10 minutes, an individual will die from a blood cancer. Many who suffer from incurable blood cancers would benefit from a stem cell transplant; however,six out of ten patients will not receive the lifesaving transplant they need. Bone marrow/stem cell transplants save lives but to do so, a match must exist on the registry. Because matches occur on ethnicity, it is particularly important to increase minority registrations as only about 10% of the U.S. registry is comprised of Hispanics, 7% of African Americans 7% of Asian Americans, 1% of Native Americans, and 0.2% of Native Hawiian (reference http://marrow.org/News/Media/Facts_and_Figures_(PDF).aspx).

Genny’s Hope Foundation seeks to improve the odds for anyone needing a match by increasing the number of committed enrollments on the national and international bone marrow/stem cell donor registries. It is simple and easy to enroll as a donor (just a cheek swab). Go to www.gennyhope.org to order a do-it-yourself cheek swab kit and help to save a life. If you do not physically qualify to be a stem cell donor and would like to help in another way, please consider making a financial contribution. It costs between $65 to $100 to complete the lab processing for each enrollment on the registry. Genny’s Hope Foundation is a registered non-profit with the Federal government, incorporated in the state of Colorado -- all your donations are tax deductible.

Who is Genny?

On January 19, 2012, at the age of 33 years, Genny Pogar Johnson underwent a matched unrelated donor stem cell transplant to cure two simultaneous blood diseases: pMF (primary myleofibrosis), and MDS (myelodysplastic syndrome). Genny has chosen to “live out loud” during the course of her transplant journey for two primary reasons: 1) to offer hope to those who may be considering a stem cell transplant, and 2) to raise awareness for the need to increase the bone marrow/stem cell donor registries. Genny is incredibly grateful to her donor, a 28 year old man from Europe, whom she has nicknamed “Hans.” It is Genny’s hope that one day she will be able to meet “Hans” in order to thank him personally for giving her new life and the opportunity to raise her two young children, Tyler and Hannah. To read Genny's blog, go to http://www.facebook.com/GennysHopeFoundation

General Information

Our primary goal is to increase significantly the number of donor enrollments in the bone marrow/stem cell registries. As Genny likes to say, "Everyone who would benefit from a stem cell transplant should at least have the CHOICE to undergo the procedure." But without a match, that choice does not exist. It is a numbers game. With more enrollments, we can increase the chances for all our loved ones to find that match and reclaim their lives.

PRODUCTS

HANDWOVEN CHEMO CAPS: Our weaving guild knits chemo caps that are soft and easy on the head when new hair follicles are growing in. Caps are provided at no charge to any cancer patient preparing for a stem cell transplant. To request one of these fun caps, just send an email to Sandy Martin at smartin@gennyhope.org.

HANDWOVEN EARLY AWARENESS WRIST BANDS: When you join the bone marrow/stem cell donor registry at one of our donor drives, we say thank you by providing you a handmade "early awareness" bracelet made by local school children. Involving school children in weaving these bracelets increases understanding for the need of donors. After all, today's school children are tomorrow's stem cell donors.

HANDWOVEN SHAWLS AND SCARFS: All financial contributors who donate greater than $200 to the foundation receive a handwoven scarf or shawl made by our weaving guild –comprised of volunteers who lovingly “knit for marrow.” Financial donations are needed and welcomed in order to offset the lab processing fees to register new donors. Remember -- we are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, so all of your financial contributions are tax deductible.

GENNY’S HOPE FOUNDATION WRISTBANDS AND LAPEL PINS: Orange Leukemia wristbands with the GHF logo or GHF lapel pins can be ordered by sending a donation online or via postal mail (go to www.gennyhope.org and select the PLEDGE YOUR DOLLARS tab). Be sure to state in the notation line that you would like a wristband and/or pin.