Hello, my name is Tara and I have a cancerous disease called MDS (Myelodysplasia Syndrome). It is a bone marrow failure and can progress to acute leukemia, which is very aggressive and untreatable. I am searching for a bone marrow match so that I can live....

...I also have a son. The hardest moments with having this disease are the thoughts about the possibility of not being able to see my son grow and share his life experiences with him. I can't bear the thought of not being able to tuck him into bed every night or tell him that I love him more than anything in this entire world. My biggest fear is that myson might experience what it's like to grow up and not have his mother in his life.

~ Tara Revyn, St. Blase parishioner

BONE MARROW DRIVE FOR TARA REVYN! - Please help Tara live. Register.

St. Blase parishioner Tara Revyn hosted abone marrow drive to help the National Marrow Donor Program at Gilda's Club is in Royal Oak on Rochester Rd. and 13 Mile Road. The testing is FREE FOR EVERYONE AT THIS DRIVE!!! So it's a great way to help save a life, and without cost. Also, there is a new way of testing...NO MORE BLOOD TESTING! They use a big Q-tip to swab the inside of your mouth. And as before, there is a short health questionnaire to fill out.I will be attending the drive the entire afternoon. PLEASE SPREAD THE WORD!!!
Click here to see a flier for the event...

YOU HAVE ALL THAT YOU NEED AND MORE THAN YOU WANT. CAN YOU SHARE SOMETHING TO BUILD GOD'S KINGDOM AND HELP SOMEONE WHO DESPERATELY NEEDS YOUR GIFT?

Note:
When you join the National Marrow Donor Program Registry as a potential marrow or blood stem cell donor, a small blood sample will be taken and tested to determine your tissue type. The cost for the tissue typing ranges from $65 to $96, depending on the donor center or recruitment group, the level of testing performed and the laboratory that completes the test.ned from thesites related to donors:

MDS Information - Because everyday is a race against time for her.

Below are links to informational websites regarding MDS and finding a cure:

MDS Explained National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)) Michigan Marrow Donor Centers Donate Your Baby's Umbilical Cord Blood

Tara is featured on the National Marrow Donor Program website for Michigan which is www.marrowgreatlakes.org. This is an official site with links for all info on becoming a donor. Also, if you click on local drives it has a list of all of the bone marrow drives in the area, which is the first question people ask, "where do I sign up???" Her story is on the local patients link.

Tara's Thank You!

To the entire St. Blase Community: I cannot express how much I appreciate EVERYONE'S hard work from the first meeting regarding Kingdom Assignment 2 to the Treasure Sale on Thursday till now. I appreciate everyone's sacrifice of time, talent and of course, treasure! I know that many of us were hoping for a bigger turnout, however, the fact is that so many people came out in the Spirit of God and that in itself is something to be so happy about and touched by. Walking around and talking to the community made this experience, alone, a memorable one and quite the blessing!

Thank you, Fr. Randy, Mary Dumm and the entire parish office staff for all of your support in answering questions that so many people had, spreading the word, and everything else that all of you did to make this a success for St. Blase. Fr. Randy, a special thank you for coming through on the weather! Last Thursday turned out to be a beautiful day and helped those ice cream sales sky rocket! :)

Pat Lenkner...you are an angel for organizing this and pulling it all together!!! Your heart is so big and your spirit touches me beyond belief! You have shown me yet another way in which to follow Christ and I am blessed to have you in my life. Thank you!

Joyce and Fred Kuspa, Pat Byrne, David Bushe and Tony Lenkner...your work as the Logistics Committee was impeccable! Thanks to Dave for getting those bright T-shirts from Bob Artymovich! I know it made it very easy to see who was working that day! What a fashion statement we all made!

Barb Francis...thank you for contacting Coach's Ice Cream and arranging for us to have the ice cream cart for the day of the sale as well as the hots dogs from Dodge Park Coney Island. Since the weather turned out perfectly, I know that everyone enjoyed the ice cream...I know I certainly did! The 160 hot dogs were great for all of us to eat and enjoy the whole day. You are wonderful, my sister!

Much appreciation to Denise Porcasi and all of the women who served the hot dogs, sloppy joes and ice cold water all day long! We all would've passed out if it wasn't for all of your wonderful efforts!

Beth Clay, Waylon Thacker, Danielle Willman, Allan Willman, Carol Barrido, and everyone else that helped making the Kingdom Assignment 2 a wonderful, blessed project; I thank you so very much!

Last, but by no means least, thank you so very much to all of the buyers, sellers, everyone that donated to this project. I cannot even explain how overwhelming it is for me to witness the Spirit work so profoundly in this community. So many people have come up to me and said, "Isn't this wonderful?" My response every time is, "It's absolutely unbelievable!"

During this entire project, I have firmly believed that the focus was never how much money we would make during KA2. The fruits of the Spirit were what made this such a success: $100,000 or $1.00. Isn't this what God is always telling us everyday of our lives? We are all called to open our eyes to His Spirit and follow that no matter what. Every person, every experience, makes my life complete and fulfilled. I thank God for all of you. It doesn't matter what you do, or how big or small your part is because EVERYTHING is big in His eyes. To be who He called us to be is such a beautiful thing and for all of us to have witnessed that is amazing! Thank you again for showing me His love through all your prayers, support and efforts. I will never forget how much this whole experience has touched my life forever, and the beautiful example of Christ's love each and every one of you has shown.

God Bless to all,

Tara Revyn

Check out the photos taken from the kick-off of Kingdom Assignment 2
which took place on Mother's Day Weekend!
What an amazing display of the St. Blase Community's
committment to a Life of Significance!

Treasure Sale Information
Our Treasure Sale component of Kingdom Assignment II brought in almost $6,000.00 dollars for the Tara Revyn Bone Marrow Fund. THANK YOU to all who were involved in planning and organizing, and to all that participated in the event.

Special thanks to Pat Lenkner for heading the committee that pulled the entire project together and to Tim Doppel for his "PR" efforts. Many others have sold items and in the process of selling items to benefit Tara. To date, we have raised over $40,000.00. I am sure that figure will be surpassed by the time you are reading this.

~ Fr. Randy Phillips
(taken from the July 11th issue of The Flame)