Nearly 400 Turn Out For

Bienkowski Marrow Registry Drive

By John Voket &

Kendra Bobowick

Hands busy, frequently waving a “hello,” and shuffling donations into envelopes, Deborah Augenbraun and her daughter Laura thanked the many arrivals to Monday’s bone marrow registry drive, which was held in honor of school district Business Director Ron Bienkowski.

Recently diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia, Mr Bienkowski said he will need a marrow transplant as part of his treatment.

Near the doorway to the Newtown Middle School cafeteria were event coordinators Karen Grosso and Ivy Pearson, who hoped that one of the many residents, several visitors from out of town, town employees, officials, and many school district members would be a match. And in the end, both the organizers and Mr Bienkowski appeared in awe of the outpouring of support for the cause, which generated nearly 400 registry donors and enough donations to underwrite all donor registry drive costs.

“I cannot sufficiently thank those friends, co-workers, associates, acquaintances, residents of Newtown, and other communities, who came forward to be tested for placement on the National Bone Marrow Registry in hopes of being a donor match for me, or another in need of a transplant,” Mr Bienkowski wrote in a letter in this week’s Newtown Bee.

“My family and I appreciate the heartwarming show of caring by donors, contributors, and volunteers who made the March 30 Drive on my behalf a success beyond expectation,” Mr Bienkowski added. “This gesture of kindness and support gives me the strength and courage to face the challenging days ahead.”

Glancing at the middle school cafeteria full of people leaving donations, filling out forms, and in many cases sliding a long cotton swab inside their cheeks, Ms Grosso took a deep breath, “I just know somebody is going to walk through the door and be a match — it can happen.”

Feeling Mr Bienkowski’s struggle personally, Ms Pearson spoke of her parents’ individual leukemia-related illnesses. Also pleased at the numbers turning out for the drive, she and Ms Grosso agreed, “Only good can come of this. You never know.”

Volunteering to help prepare completed donor registry kits for testing, school district employee and behavior analyst Christine Lamas said she did not know Mr Bienkowski, but wanted to offer her help. A table away was Laura Augenbraun’s teacher, Meg Holmes.

With her head bent toward the information sheet she filled out to accompany her swab, Ms Holmes soon discovered Laura peeking over her shoulder. Finishing her paperwork, Ms Holmes admitted that although she also did not know Mr Bienkowski, she had a specific reason for joining the drive.

“It’s something I have wanted to do,” said Ms Holmes. “A family friend passed away two years ago. I didn’t do it then...I am doing it now.”

Reading about the drive prompted Southbury resident Susanne Navas, her son William, and daughter Jacqueline to visit Newtown Monday. Last year, she had missed a chance to donate, she said, but not this year. She also does not know Mr Bienkowski, but attended the drive as a personal choice.

Upon completing the activity and learning about the results, Ms Grosso, too, extolled the community’s spirit of giving.

“When Ivy and I started organizing this drive, we didn’t know what to expect, but this community really responds when someone is in need,” she said. “We are happy to say that 389 people were registered into the National Marrow Donor Registry yesterday.

“We also received enough donations to cover all of the lab processing fees for this drive, and, through donations made to The Ronald Bienkowski Medical Fund, we are also on our way to helping pay for other uncovered medical costs related to the transplant itself,” Ms Grosso added.

She said it is the organizers’ greatest hope that a match for Ron is found, “but one thing we know for sure is there are so many people who care and support him and his family. We will continue to move forward with the highest hopes!”

Since the registry drive concluded, Ms Grosso announced that the Newtown Rotary Club is now partnering in the effort to raise funds for Mr Bienkowski’s future uncovered medical costs.

Donation checks to help defray uncovered medical costs can now be made out to The Newtown Rotary Foundation, with “Ronald Bienkowski” on the memo line. The mailing address remains the same: 6 Harvest Common Road, Sandy Hook CT 06482.

These checks and checks that were previously made out to the Ronald Bienkowski Medical Fund, will all be placed into the same account, and are all tax deductible.