Good news everyone. I found a match. It is not a perfect match but it is a 9/10 match. The donor is extremely committed. His commitment is so strong that he was willing to pre-pone his stem cell donation to fit my doctor's recommendations. I can't express how much this means to me. In the past I wrote about how one of the potential donors became "unavailable" due to a lack of family support. This is not the case here. You, as volunteers and activists, deserve the credit in the change in our community's mentality and their conviction to be a COMMITTED DONOR.

Tomorrow morning I will begin my journey into the transplant process. I will be admitted and have several procedures done, including placement of 2 Hickman catheters. The transplant will be a long and arduous process but your support and well wishes will get me through these difficult times. I love reading all the "show of support" comments and it really brightens my spirits.

Many of you stay connected to me through this wonderful website. Many of you I know and many of you I have heard of through my family and friends. I will do my very best to keep you up to date on my progress. And even if I am unable to write, I will have Rashmi relay my sentiments. I hope to have new updates at least a few times a week.

Team Vinay should be proud of all it has accomplished. In the short few months that you all have been active, we have registered over 23,000 South Asians. This is clearly over a 20% increase to the existing number of S. Asians on the registry. And as you may know a few of the marrow registrants through Team Vinay drives have already been contacted as being potential donors for others in our community. Through your tireless efforts we have also achieved a few more significant goals. Team Vinay, working along with NMDP, is responsible for implementing a protocol for culturally competent callbacks for potential S. Asian donors. Another wonderful outcome is the creation of a S. Asian specific website that will serve as a sustainable informational and educational tool for our community for the years to come. The content of the website is growing and will include input from key Team Vinay members - it should be up and running next month!

This past week has been amazing. I have enjoyed my short yet fulfilling week at home, spending time with Rashmi and other family and friends. We watched Rush Hour 3, had a BBQ and played dominoes. Thank you all again for your unwavering support and well wishes. Much love to you all; Vinay.