Just a Swab of the Cheek Can Save Thousands of Lives. Ask Nelly

WASHINGTON - Six years ago, St. Louis Rapper Nelly was at the height of his powers. He was selling million upon millionss of recordings. He graced the covers of dozens of magazines. He was known worldwide, and his concerts were usually standing room only. Money rolled in by the tons.But with all that, Nelly couldn't save the one person he so dearly loved, his half-sister Jackie Donahue. Donahue, 31, suffered from leukemia, and her only cure was a bone marrow transplant.

Nelly made public appearances. He held press conferences asking for help. He held bone marrow drives at which 1760 people signed up. But it wasn't enough. Just hours before he was to go onstage March 24, 2005, in Beaumont, Texas, Nelly got the call he had dreaded. His sister had lost her four-year battle with cancer.

Each year, thousands of people die for lack of organ, tissue, marrow or blood donation that could save their lives due to lack of availability, which is why the National Minority Organ Tissue Transplant Education Program and Super Giant Food Store will be out this Saturday urging more people to register as donors so they can save the lives of the more than 102, 000 now awaiting transplants.

The procedure is simple and painless. Just sign up, and then have a swab of the cheek to see if you might be the match that could save someone's life. That's it.

National MOTTEP and the Super Giant Food Store at 1535 Alabama Ave., S.E., will be highlighting the issue from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. this Saturday during National Minority Donor Awareness day with free health screenings at the store. Visitors can get free checks for blood pressure, foot issues, HIV, vision, body fat and other important areas. There will also be a free cooking demonstration.

Norman Brooks, project director for National MOTTEP, said it is vital for the minority community to support this effort to save lives.

"Every 14 minutes, a new name is added to the national registry of people waiting for a transplant," Brooks said. "MOTTEP is working every day to save lives through kidney, bone marrow, liver, heart and other transplants. We can't do that without the communities help. Money alone can't do it. We need people. And the testing process is so simple and painless. "

The National Minority Donor Awareness Day, launched in 1996, is an annual event designed to increase the awareness of the need and importance of organ, tissue, marrow and blood donation among minority communities.

IF YOU GO:

WHAT: National Minority Donor Awareness (NMDAD), August 1 is an annual event designed to increase awareness about the need and importance of organ, tissue, marrow and blood donation among all minority communities. Free health screenings to include blood pressure, HIV, podiatry (foot care), vision, height, weight, body fat and body mass analysis, vision, cancer awareness, a cooking demonstration and more.

WHEN: Saturday, August 1, 10:00 am - 2:00 pm

WHERE: Super Giant Food Store, 1535 Alabama Avenue, SE,

WHY: Every 14 minutes, a new name is added to the national transplant waiting list. Many can avoid failure as uncontrolled high blood pressure and uncontrolled diabetes are the leading causes of kidney failure. Nationally, the transplant waiting list has reached over 102,000 - an increase from 33, 000 in 1993. Minorities make up 50% of the overall transplant waiting list. The average wait for a kidney transplant is 5-10 years. The District of Columbia currently ranks number in the nation with the highest incidence of kidney disease.