Love Hope Strength Foundation Aims to Set World Record for Most Bone Marrow Donor Registrations at a Music Event

The Love Hope Strength Foundation (LHS), which recently set a Guinness record for the highest concert recorded on land, is teaming up with the world’s largest marrow donor center, DKMS and Driving for Donors, lead by the dynamic 12 year-old, Pat Pedraja, to set a world record for most bone marrow registrations at a music event. The group also hopes to dispel the myths that bone marrow donation, if matched, is risky and believes through education, and a very quick registration process, the Mile High Music Festival will serve as an ideal setting to reduce the number of unneeded deaths due to unmatched recipients and allow concert goers to become part of history.

According to DKMS, the current record of donor registrations at a concert is 230. According to the National Marrow Donor Program, the national average for donor registration drives is 50.  With an estimated 100,000 people planning to attend the Mile High Music Festival over two days, LHS needs less than one percent of concert goers to participate to set a world record. Registration requires only a cheek swab, and completion of a donor consent form.

The Mile High Music Festival will feature a tremendous variety of musical talent, ranging from established touring powerhouses to some of the hottest up-and-coming performers, including a number of bands from Denver’s vibrant music scene. In addition to the headliners, performance highlights include Tom Petty, Dave Matthews, John Mayer, The Black Crowes, O.A.R., Michael Franti & Spearhead, Rodrigo y Gabriela, Steve Winwood, Spoon, Flogging Molly, Colbie Caillat, OneRepublic, The Roots, plus Denver favorites Flobots, Rose Hill Drive, Meese, Born In The Flood, Railbenders and The Photo Atlas.

“People will be there for twelve hours, registering will take less than one song”, said Shannon Foley, Executive Director of Love Hope Strength. “We hope musicians will lead the charge by encouraging all festival-goers to take a few minutes out of the day to get registered to potentially save a life. 30,000 Americans needed bone marrow donors last year and only 3,000 found matches. Mile High Music Festival can change that!”

 Festival goers can stop by the Love Hope Strength Foundation booth to register to become a marrow donor and learn more about the world’s primary cause of death and other ways that they can help make a difference in global cancer care. LHS will also be accepting names for a prayer flag that will be hiked to Machu Picchu, Peru as part of the largest cancer awareness event in Peruvian history.

“We need to dispel the myth that registering or even becoming a marrow donor is painful,” said Katharina Harf, EVP of DKMS Americas. “Seventy-five percent of the time bone marrow cells are collected via the blood stream, while 25% are collected via the pelvic bone; both are out-patient procedures.”

“When I was in the hospital getting treatment for cancer, I watched a friend die, not because she had to but because she just couldn’t find a match", said 12 year-old Pat Pedraja whose efforts have earned him the honors of People's Choice CNN Hero of the Year.  “I am thrilled to go for the record and even more excited about using a rock concert to do so. She would have thought that was so cool”.  

About the Love Hope Strength Foundation

Love Hope Strength Foundation (LHSF) is an international charity with chapters in the US, UK and Australia. Founded by leukemia survivors Mike Peters of the Welsh rock band the Alarm and President of CSI Entertainment James Chippendale, who is a bone marrow transplant recipient, LHS has the goal of using musical venues to raise awareness and provide all cancer patients with the same opportunities that they had, including access to information, quality cancer treatment and the best medication available.

About Driving for Donors

Driving for Donors began in 2007 as a nationwide event where Pat Pedraja, a 12 year-old who has leukemia, traveled around the country with his family hosting bone marrow donor drives. Driving for Donors registered 6500 donors in 2007, raising over $100,000. For more information and to learn more about Pat Pedraja, visit: drivingfordonors.com. 

About DKMS

DKMS is the world’s largest marrow donor center with over 1.7 million registered donors, and has facilitated over 14,000 transplants. DKMS was founded in 1991 by Peter Harf, who was in desperate need to find an unrelated match for his wife, suffering from leukemia. DKMS stands for Deutsche Knochenmarkspenderdatei, or German Bone Marrow Donor Center in English. The New York office will help meet increasing U.S. demand for bone marrow transplants. To learn more, visit www.dkmsamericas.org, call 1-866-340-DKMS (3567) or send an e-mail to info@dkmsamericas.org.