Bean & Barrel's "Save the Fox" Event Registers 44 New Donors, Raises More Than $3,000

Chapel Hill, NC, July 11, 2015 --(PR.com)-- When Superior Court Judge Carl Fox was diagnosed with blood cancer this past April, he went public and became an advocate for all who suffer from this disease. His selfless attitude has led others to rally around him and this cause.

Judge Fox currently undergoes monthly chemotherapy sessions as well as platelet and blood transfusions twice each week, but is also in need of a bone marrow transfusion. As of yet, no donor match has been identified.

On Tuesday July 6, Bean and Barrel restaurant located in Governors Village in Chapel Hill, Chatham County held a bone marrow donor registration drive in hopes that a match can be found for Judge Fox. Members of the local community came out in force to show support for Fox, including Tar Heel basketball great and Olympic gold medalist, Phil Ford.

“We’d obviously love to find a match,” said Chris Ehrenfeld, one of Bean and Barrel’s owners. However even without finding a match from this event, Ehrenfeld says that Fox’s attitude is very positive about registering more donors. “He has been such a strong advocate of ‘Don’t do it just for me; do it for everybody else.’”

44 new bone marrow donors were registered at the event and more than $1,500 was donated by guests of the event. In addition, Bold Construction, Domicile Realty & Governors Club Realty each donated $500 towards the cause. “We wanted to make sure we raised enough money to cover the costs of the registration kits. So our companies contributed an additional $1,500 to make sure we achieved that goal,” said Chris Ehrenfeld. Delete Blood Cancer says it costs approximately $65 in lab fees to process each registration.

Organizer and volunteer Lisa Dyson shared her reaction to the community’s response, “When we put the registration drive together, we didn't know what to expect. I was personally excited to register as a donor, but we were thrilled with the great crowd that came out and excited to register this many new donors.”

After meeting Judge Fox, Dyson understood why so many have come to his aid. “As soon as I met Carl, it was easy to see why the Ehrenfelds and the whole community have been so enthusiastic with their support.”

Registering as a potential bone marrow donor is a simple, painless process - as easy as completing a form and swabbing the inside of one’s cheeks. Once a person’s cheeks have been swabbed, the cell samples are sent to a lab for examination. Potential donors are then listed anonymously in the Be The Match Registry®. Registrants are only contacted if they are matched with someone in need of bone marrow or blood stem cells.

When asked about people registering as donors Fox responded, "It isn't often that we have the opportunity to save a life. So, if we are called upon, how can we pass up the chance to give life to someone in need? Please register and please donate. Together we can save lives."

Next weekend, another ‘Save the Fox’ event will be held at University Place in Chapel Hill. Volunteers will be on hand from 11 am to 7 pm on Friday July 17 and from 10am to 4 pm on Saturday July 18. Potential donors can also learn more from Delete Blood Cancer and Be the Match.