Monday, February 26, 2007

Best wishes

A New Hampshire mother who has been diagnosed with leukemia is turning to a popular Web site to help find a cure.

Leigh Buckley is a wife and mother of two girls: Julia, 2½, and Clara, who is 7 months old.

On Jan. 9, Buckley found out that she has cancer. Since then, her family's world has changed. Buckley began treatments to fight off the cancer, and she lost her hair.

Buckley and her husband, Andrew, have chronicled it all and made a video that now airs on the Web site YouTube.

The video shows the family, the couple raising their children and Buckley undergoing treatment in a hospital.

The point of the video was to make people aware of the National Bone Marrow Registry and help Buckley find a match to save her life.

The response has been overwhelming.

"There's a lot of people praying for us. E-mails and cards continue to flood in -- (from) people we don't even know," said Buckley.

People from as far away as the West Coast are now organizing bone marrow drives like the ones that will be held in New England.

"I want people to know that they can put their name on the registry and help me, but they can help a lot of other people," said Buckley.

A drive is being held on Buckley's 32nd birthday. The test is a simple cheek swab. It is free to everyone, but participants are encouraged to bring their insurance cards.

A second drive is being planned for March 14.

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