Bill > K00617

This resolution memorializes Governor Kathy Hochul to officially proclaim May 28, 2025, as Blood Cancer Day in New York State, highlighting the critical importance of blood cancer awareness and stem cell donation. The resolution emphasizes several key points about blood cancers, noting that every three to four minutes someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with a blood cancer, and annually 18,000 patients require potentially life-saving blood stem cell transplants. It recognizes the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), which manages a national registry of over 42 million potential donors worldwide, and points out that 75% of patients do not have a fully matched donor in their family. The resolution also celebrates New York's contribution, acknowledging that 406,000 state residents have joined the national registry, over 700 have donated in the past five years, and more than 7,000 New Yorkers have received potentially life-saving transplants. By calling for this proclamation, the resolution aims to raise awareness about blood cancers, honor patients fighting these diseases, and encourage more people to become potential stem cell donors through a simple registration process involving a cheek swab.

https://www.nysenate.gov/legislation/bills/2025/K617