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Transplant Recipient to Meet Marrow and Platelet Donors

October 24, 2008

Moffitt Cancer Center Patient Meets Marrow Donor from Dallas and FBS Donor Who Supported Transplant

(St. Petersburg, FL) October 31 at 10 a.m. Florida Blood Services (FBS), together with Moffitt Cancer Center, is hosting a meeting of a marrow transplant patient for the first time with the donor who matched his tissue type, as well as many of the blood and platelet donors that helped him to survive before, during and after his transplant. The event will be held in the Ted and Marty Couch Auditorium in the Vincent A. Stabile Research Building, located at Moffitt at 12902 Magnolia Drive in Tampa.

The patient, Brian Jenkins, suffered from acute lymphocytic leukemia (ALL) and underwent a bone marrow transplant in June 2007. He was diagnosed in Orlando where he initially received blood and platelet transfusions before being transferred to Moffitt for his transplant once his donor match was found.

The marrow donor, John Dickenson, enrolled in the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) registry in Dallas, in response to a drive on behalf of a local woman who was searching for a donor match. He was not a match for her but, like many prospective donors who enroll in the NMDP registry, John was a match for someone else whose last hope was a transplant.

Guest speakers include Dr. Claudio Anasetti, division chief of the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program at Moffitt, Dr. Ernesto Ayala, the surgeon who performed Jenkin's operation, Don Doddridge, CEO of Florida Blood Services as well as the recipient and his marrow donor. A reception will follow in the atrium.

For many of the 30,000 patients who will be diagnosed with leukemia, aplastic anemia and 60 other fatal diseases this year, the only chance for survival is a Marrow or Peripheral Blood Stem Cell (PBSC) transplant from a compatible donor. FBS facilitates more than 200 such transplants each year as the Southwest Florida Outreach Center for the NMDP. If you are between the ages of 18 and 60, in good health and no more than 25% over your ideal body weight, you can join the more than 31,000 Tampa Bay area volunteers who have already registered for this lifesaving program. Simple swabs from inside the mouth to collect DNA samples for tissue typing is all that is required along with registration paperwork.

In recognition of the urgency to increase the diversity of the registry and in honor of our blood donors who support the needs of patients requiring transfusions, the FBS Foundation will cover the NMDP registration costs (normally $52) for any FBS donor that gives blood, platelets or plasma during November. Generally, healthy people age 16(with parental permission) or older who weigh at least 110 pounds can donate blood. For donation locations or additional information, please call 1-800-68-BLOOD (25663) or visit www.fbsblood.org

About Florida Blood Services

Florida Blood Services provides for the blood needs of patients at 37 hospitals in Hillsborough, Manatee, Pasco, Pinellas and Polk Counties, through the generosity of volunteer blood donors. Over 800 donations are required daily, due to the high quality of medical care in Tampa Bay that serves the most critically ill patients throughout west central Florida.

About H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center & Research Institute

Located in Tampa, Florida, Moffitt Cancer Center is the only Florida-based cancer center with the NCI designation as a Comprehensive Cancer Center for its excellence in research and contributions to clinical trials, prevention and cancer control. Moffitt currently has 15 affiliates in Florida, one in Georgia and two in Puerto Rico. Additionally, Moffitt is a member of the National Comprehensive Cancer Network, a prestigious alliance of the country's leading cancer centers and is listed in the U.S. News & World Report as one of "America's Best Hospitals" for cancer. Moffitt's sole mission is to contribute to the prevention and cure of cancer.

FOR MEDIA INQUIRIES CONTACT:

Dan Eberts

Corporate Communications Manager

deberts@fbsblood.org

Cell: 727-656-5239

Michelle Foley

Moffitt Cancer Center

michelle.foley@moffitt.org

Office: 813-745-1505