Portland Timbers Soccer Team to Host Bone Marrow Drive at PGE Park with DKMS

Drive to benefit defender Cameron Knowles’ former teammate’s wife Marcia Williams

PORTLAND, Ore. – Led by defender Cameron Knowles, the Portland Timbers have teamed up with DKMS, the largest bone marrow donor center in the world, to host a bone marrow donor drive on Feb. 8, at PGE Park in honor of Marcia Williams, the wife of Knowles’ former Real Salt Lake teammate Andy Williams. Marcia has a rare form of leukemia and desperately needs a bone marrow transplant.

The Timbers’ bone marrow donor drive will be held from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. inside the pavilion suites at PGE Park. Several current and former Timbers players, including Scot Thompson, Kiki Lara and Chris Brown will be on hand to participate in the drive and meet with potential donors.

Marcia Williams was diagnosed on July 3, 2008. Since then, she has started treatment and undergone six bone marrow biopsies, but needs a bone marrow transplant to save her life. In the last few weeks Marcia’s blood counts have severely deteriorated and she is desperately waiting for her match.

“After learning of Marcia's deteriorating health I felt compelled to do something,” said Knowles. ”I learned that the process of registering potential donors is easy and pain-free – requiring nothing more than a cheek swab. I saw how the soccer community in Utah came together to support the cause and knew we would do the same here in Portland.”

DKMS has partnered with the soccer communities in Salt Lake City and now in Portland to help find a match for Marcia’s rare bone marrow tissue type.

“The more people that get tested, the more chance there is of finding someone to save not only Marcia's life but also the lives of the more than 130,000 people that are diagnosed with blood cancers each year,” explains Knowles.

To help cover the $65 testing cost per donor, any donations are welcome at the drive or can be made online in Marcia’s honor. The Timbers’ bone marrow donor drive is open to all healthy individuals between 18 to 55 years of age. To learn more about the Williams’ story, visit www.soccerunitesutah.com.

About DKMS
DKMS was founded in Germany in 1991, by Peter Harf and Dr. Gerhard Ehninger after Harf lost his wife, Mechtild, to acute leukemia. Today, DKMS is the world’s largest marrow donor center with over 1.8 million registered bone marrow donors. Since its founding, DKMS has facilitated more than 16,000 bone marrow transplants. DKMS Americas is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.

The mission of DKMS is to give every blood cancer patient a second chance at life by recruiting bone marrow donors from every race and ethnicity. We inspire hope and healing by matching our donors with patients around the world in need of a bone marrow transplant.

For more information about DKMS and to learn more about registering as a bone marrow donor, and eligibiliy requirements please visit www.dkmsamericas.org

-- visit www.portlandtimbers.com