By now, I am sure you have heard that Nergal is battling with leukemia. When the news was announced, metalheads everywhere asked how they could help and Nergal gave some suggestions. Now, we metalheads are taking matters into our own hands.
While organizing our upcoming CMJ showcase, Rich Hall of 1000Knives promotions suggested to us and MetalSucks that we use the event to hold a bone marrow drive. We immediately jumped at the opportunity and soon found there were two other drives happening in other parts of the country. Here is the info on all three events:
- THE NYC AREA DRIVE will take place at the MetalSucks/Metal Injection/1000 Knives CMJ showcase on Wednesday, October 20 at Club Europa in Brooklyn. It will be administered by The Icla da Silva Foundation, Inc., and the table will be set up near the merch area. Participants will be asked to fill out a form detailing some of their medical history, and then a swab will be taken from inside the cheek to determine whether or not they are an eligible donor. There will also be educational pamphlets available for concert goers who want to learn more. And, of course, performances by A Life Once Lost, Car Bomb, This or The Apocalypse, Baptized in Blood, and Last Chance to Reason… which is a terrific bonus.
- THE LOS ANGELES AREA DRIVE will take place on Sunday, October 17 at Dark Realm Records in Downey, CA, from 1 – 4 pm. It is a completely free event that will be administered by Be the Match. Again, participants will be asked to fill out some paperwork, and a swab will be taken from inside the cheek. You can get additional details here, or via the flyer at the top of this article.
- THE STAMFORD, CT DRIVE will take place on Sunday, November 14 at Fritz’s Cycle Haus from noon to 4 or possibly 5 pm, depending on the turnout. This event will also be administered by Be the Match, and was organized by Steven Kolenberg, a high school senior who is clearly a good apple if ever there was one. Additional details of this drive will be forthcoming; in the meantime, Kolenberg urges people to register to be a donor online if you can’t attend in person.
If you are in the area, you should try to make it out to these, not only because you could possibly be saving Nergal's life, but the life of some unknown person who is desperately in need of help.
