by Elaine Durbach
NJJN Bureau Chief/Central

January 8, 2009

Margaux Streep, Lauren Belfer, and Dani Bernstein are close friends. All juniors at Scotch Plains-Fanwood High School and members of Congregation Beth Israel and the JCC of Central New Jersey — all in Scotch Plains — they have moved together through the relatively smooth waters of their teen years.

It came as a total shock to them last spring when Margaux was diagnosed with leukemia. “I’d never known anyone with it,” Lauren said; Dani hadn’t either. “I didn’t really understand at first what it was about,” she said. “I felt so bad.”

Now the two girls, assisted by their parents and friends, have found a way to turn that shock into positive action. To honor Margaux, they are holding an event in support of the National Marrow Donor Program at the JCC this Sunday, Jan. 11. It will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Teen Lounge. Margaux and her parents, Bill and Susan Streep, have also been helping to organize the drive.

Though Margaux is doing well, for many others with leukemia, a bone marrow transplant can be a life saver. The event, “Swab to Save,” will provide an opportunity for anyone between the ages of 18 and 60 to add their name to the National Marrow Donor Program registry and to give a tissue sample — taken with a cotton swab from the inside of the cheek — to see if they could be a marrow donor.
Those assisting the girls emphasized that being listed doesn’t automatically mean being a donor. If someone on the registry is found to be a match with a patient in need, there is another chance to decide whether or not to participate in a transplant.

Everyone is welcome to the JCC event. To help cover costs and to make it enjoyable for families, the girls have organized T-shirt sales, a kids’ craft table, video games, and snacks.

Neither Lauren, 17, nor Dani, 16, had ever led something like this before, but as the summer approached and Margaux dealt with her treatment, they said, they felt a deep need to express their support for her and to combat this sudden intruder in their lives.

Lauren’s father, Michael, came up with the idea of doing the swab drive. “A friend of my wife’s went through this a few years ago,” he said. “Margaux, thank goodness, doesn’t need a bone marrow transplant, but it seemed like a good thing to do to help others with the disease.”

‘Really proud’

Despite their lack of leadership experience, the girls readily accepted the challenge. “We’ve known each other since kindergarten, and we hang out together every day,” Dani said. “It was a big project, but we knew we’d be working on it together.”

Margaux Streep’s illness is in remission, but she is hoping the marrow donor registration drive organized by her friends will bring help to other leukemia sufferers.

They are both on the JCC’s Teen Advisory Board. “We’ve grown up at the JCC,” Dani said. The girls have attended its Camp Yachad over the years, and this past summer, they worked as junior counselors under the supervision of Mallory Saks, who was about to take up the post of director of youth and teen services at the center. They approached her with their idea, which she heartily welcomed.

Saks laid out for the girls what was entailed and the costs involved and set up a plan of action. Since October, that has included a schedule of weekly meetings. “There was a lot to do and they both had other activities, like getting a driving license and visiting colleges,” Saks said, but they and fellow members of the teen board worked diligently.

Perhaps the toughest part is the expense. Michael Belfer learned how to take the cheek swabs and has been handling the information gathering and paperwork involved, and he trained the teens to assist him. But even with volunteers doing the work, it costs $52 to test and register each donor. The NMDP covers $25 of the first 100 tests, but the organizers are hoping to do as many as 300, and they need to come up with the rest of the money. While donations will be very welcome, the testing is totally free for the participants.

Lauren and Dani and their friends set about raising the funds. They put in hours doing canister collections outside local bagel and doughnut stores, talking about their cause to all who would listen. They came up with around $1,600 from their collecting and another $1,500 in response to letters they sent to about 30 corporations. They also arranged a casino evening for teens for last Tuesday, Jan. 6.
As the main event drew near, the girls looked back on all the preparations. “It was a lot of work, but it feels really good to do something like this, to be giving back,” Lauren said. Dani agreed. “I’m a little nervous about whether enough people will take part,” she said, “but I’m really proud of what we’ve done so far. It’s been fun. Now we just want the people to come.”

Margaux said she is feeling so much better than when she began treatment in the spring, but she is aware of her situation. “I am still in remission and will hopefully remain in remission forever. If not, a bone marrow transplant becomes very likely,” she said. “It was so nice of Dani and Lauren to coordinate this drive. It seems as if I’ve been friends with them forever. I so hope that the Jan. 11 event provides a match for someone who needs a donor.”

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