Rap star and sister launch bone marrow campaign

ST. LOUIS -- Grammy-winning rapper Nelly and his sister, Jackie Donahue, announced a national campaign Wednesday from their hometown to step up the fight against leukemia.

Donahue suffers from the disease, a cancer of the blood cells, and needs a bone marrow transplant.

The brother and sister formed "Jes Us 4 Jackie" to raise awareness about bone marrow donations and to find a donor for Donahue and others. There will be donor test sites in Los Angeles, New York and St. Louis on June 21. Nelly's nonprofit organization "4 Sho 4 Kids" is raising money to pick up the tab for testing costs on that day.

The drive is open to all donors, but is emphasizing that the registry needs more black donors and donors of mixed heritage.

Donahue, 29, was diagnosed March 29, 2001. The mother of two said her leukemia was in remission for less than two years. She learned in January that she had relapsed.

With tears in her eyes, she lifted off a scarf to show her bald head at a press conference. She said it was hard to explain to her two children why she didn't have hair, a side effect of chemotherapy. "Every time you get chemotherapy, it tears your body down," she said. "I'm asking everyone from St. Louis to wherever to come out and support not just Jackie, but the whole United States."

As the emotional Donahue spoke, Nelly approached the microphone stand and gave his sister a long hug. "It's not about Nelly. It's not about my sister. It's about the issue. It's about leukemia," the star said. "I just want to do anything I can."

The 24-year old rapper, born Cornell Haynes Jr., has won two Grammy Awards: best male rap solo performance for "Hot in Herre" and best rap-sung collaboration for "Dilemma," with Kelly Rowland of Destiny's Child.

He said his celebrity might help to bring attention to fighting the disease. "If that can be used in any way, shape or form, so be it."

Nelly and Donahue want 5,000 people to come forward for testing June 21. But Donahue said her goal is to have half the country, those eligible from ages 18 to 60, ultimately be placed on the registry.

The National Marrow Donor Program maintains a registry of about five million volunteer blood stem cell donors.

Only 388,000 of those volunteers are black, and more are needed because black people currently are the least likely to find a suitable donor match. Matches are more likely between those with the same heritage.

To volunteer to be a donor, people must answer a few questions about their health and six drops of blood are taken for testing.

If a match is found, a donor ultimately will need to be seen by the donor's own doctor, commit a day for donation and undergo surgery where stem cells can be collected from the bone marrow or a medical process where the cells are stimulated and removed from the blood.

The stem cells are injected into the patient, and in successful cases, they find their own way into the bones, start to grow and can lead to a cure.

More than 70 different medical conditions can be cured with successful bone marrow transplants, said Dr. Jeffrey Chell, CEO of the National Marrow Donor Program.

"Trust me. I know what busy is, and this won't take long. Just come out and help," Nelly said.

Additional information about the bone marrow donor drives will be available through a hot line at 1-888-531-3346.

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On the Net

National Marrow Donor Program: www.marrow.org