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Today on my 8th re-birthday I am so happy to be ce

Today on my 8th re-birthday I am so happy to be celebrating with my family and friends. After all these years, I have finally been able to write about my journey and decided to share my story with all of you today. This is a small glimpse of it. You can find the whole story at: https://smiles4shira.org/shiras-story/ Remember the best gift to give anyone is that of life. You can do that by an easy swab of a cheek. #swabsavesmile Link in BIO

I can’t believe it has been 8 years since I went

I can’t believe it has been 8 years since I went into the hospital for my second and life saving transplant. I also can’t believe my daughter’s dance team are now graduating high school! They were in 4th grade then and that beautiful blanket with their drawings and writings inspired me everyday I spent in that hospital bed!!! Sending so much love to all today!!

@giftoflifemarrowregistry ・・・ Sloane, a 4-y

@giftoflifemarrowregistry
・・・
Sloane, a 4-year-old girl, urgently needs a marrow transplant. She is a twin sister and daughter of two loving parents 👪, but none are a perfect marrow match. You could be her hero! Join the registry today and help share her story. Swab.Save.Smile.

#Repost @dkms_us ・・・ ❤️ Leonie is smili

#Repost @dkms_us
・・・
❤️ Leonie is smiling through her fight against cancer. At just 11-years-old and fighting an aggressive form of leukemia, she needs to find a matching bone marrow donor. ❤️

A quote from the Harry Potter books inspires her, and helps her have the hope that her matching donor will register and be found: "ℑ𝔱 𝔦𝔰 𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔠𝔥𝔬𝔦𝔠𝔢𝔰, 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔰𝔥𝔬𝔴 𝔴𝔥𝔞𝔱 𝔴𝔢 𝔱𝔯𝔲𝔩𝔶 𝔞𝔯𝔢, 𝔣𝔞𝔯 𝔪𝔬𝔯𝔢 𝔱𝔥𝔞𝔫 𝔬𝔲𝔯 𝔞𝔟𝔦𝔩𝔦𝔱𝔦𝔢𝔰."

Leonie says: "If you would decide today to register as a stem cell donor with #DKMS, you give me hope to live. It's your decision and yet it can have a huge impact on my life."

She's already been through a lot - 14 days of grueling chemotherapy and other severe complications.

But she is brave!

"I will fight. I want to be able to eat everything again, go out, play, go to the beach - just have a normal life! I used to share dance videos on Tik Tok, now I don't have the strength and I show other young people what it's like at 11 years old to have a life-threatening diagnosis.

With no matches in her family, she must rely on a complete stranger to help.

Will you step up to help Leonie and patients like her? Learn more using the link in our bio.

It’s a great day for a match!! We are always so

It’s a great day for a match!! We are always so happy to announce that a donor sponsored by Smiles4Shira has just matched a 61 year old man battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL). Let’s keep it up! Go to our website to register to become a donor hero! Link in bio. #SwabSaveSmile

Today is #WorldCancerDay2021. In honor of Shira an

Today is #WorldCancerDay2021. In honor of Shira and all the warriors in the fight against cancer (likely some of your own family or friends), Smiles4Shira hopes you will take a moment to join with us. Here are just a few ways *YOU* can make a difference and keep cancer patients smiling:
1) Order a kit from Gift of Life Marrow Registry or DKMS US to join the National Marrow Donor Registry.
2) Be a part of critical research and patient support by donating to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. Shira’s cousin, Ben, is continuing the family tradition of supporting cancer patients by raising funds for LLS. Honor the cancer warrior in your own life with a contribution of any amount: https://www.facebook.com/donate/449915379469693/?fundraiser_source=external_url
3) Reach out to the people you know who are going through treatment. COVID-19 has isolated all of us, but particularly patients with compromised immune symptoms.
Thanks for always supporting Smiles4Shira!
Swab.Save.Smile. 😊

10 years ago today we spent an amazing day hanging

10 years ago today we spent an amazing day hanging with friends in Florida little did I know that less then 24 hours later I would be rushed to the ER to start my fight against Hodgkin’s Lymphoma. As I reflect over the last 10 years I can’t express how grateful I am for friends, family and especially the S4S community for helping me and so many others! #swabsavesmile #S4S #smiles4shira

Although this year’s thanksgiving may look diffe

Although this year’s thanksgiving may look different we are thankful for all of you and wish you a happy and healthy Thanksgiving.

With Respect Honor and Gratitude, Thank You Vetera

With Respect Honor and Gratitude, Thank You Veterans!

S4S is so exited to share our newly updated websit

S4S is so exited to share our newly updated website. After almost a year of hard work @ryliekleinn ‘s vision has come true. Please enjoy and share! #Swab.Save.Smile. Link in bio: https://smiles4shira.org/

On March 17, 2013, Leah Apothaker volunteered to s

On March 17, 2013, Leah Apothaker volunteered to swab people’s cheeks at a donor drive for the Smiles4Shira network at the National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) conference in Washington, DC. At the end of the drive she decided to swab her own cheek and join the registry. Leah, 25, lost her cousin to Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, and always had a feeling she’d be called to donate someday – in fact she was so certain that she called Gift of Life to update her contact information when she moved from her native Columbus, Ohio to Mississippi to start her career as an itinerant Jewish educator. The call came on March 16, 2016, three years (minus a day) from the date she was swabbed. “It was a crazy time for me personally, I had an internship and was in the middle of applying for jobs and traveling a lot,” said Leah. With the support of Gift of Life’s donor coordination team, she was able to meet the schedule, which has to be timed perfectly for when the recipient is ready to receive the transplant. Leah’s recipient was a 40-year-old male with Acute Myelogenous Leukemia, the same cancer that had affected her family in the past. “I was really excited, it was a miracle of birth that I had this opportunity. My dad was with me during the collection. He got very emotional when he was watching me,” said Leah. “Our family having lost someone, and knowing that my recipient suffered from AML…it’s a pretty wild thing. It’s honestly the greatest gift anyone has ever given me!”Leah is absolutely willing to donate again if called upon, and emphasizes that the process is fast and easily done. “People think they have to take time out of their lives, but it’s such a small commitment that I don’t think it should scare anyone. It doesn’t look like much! As soon as I saw the courier get the little bag of stem cells, my job was over, it was up to my stem cells to go save a life.” She has been thinking about her recipient and recently learned that he is in remission and his health is continuing to improve. "I would love to meet him one day,” said Leah. “Hopefully this will bring recovery to him and his family/loved ones. I want the focus to be on his recovery. I’m a small part of this.”

What would you like others to know? How has #swabb

What would you like others to know? How has #swabbing affected you? Message us we can’t wait to hear! Swab.Save.Smile.

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