When junior Ann Gurucharri discovered that her father, Vincent Gurucharri of Columbia, Mo., was diagnosed with a life-threatening blood disease in January, she decided to seek help through the Notre Dame community. Along with several Notre Dame students, she organized a bone marrow drive that will be in the LaFortune Ballroom Tuesday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in hopes of finding a match for her father.

In light of recent struggles of Notre Dame students due to cancer and other diseases, Ann Gurucharri said she was optimistic that students would be sympathetic.

"I knew that I would get good support," said Gurucharri recalling the March 2000 bone marrow drive for Conor Murphy, a student who died from leukemia last year.

Gurucharri's father, a Notre Dame 1967 graduate, currently has a rare disease called myelodysplasia. In a letter to the University's student body, Gurucharri told students, "You could be the match that saves my father's life. Today, there are over three thousand patients waiting for someone like you to have the grace to commit to sharing your marrow."

She said she is encouraging people of all ethnicities to come to the drive because her father's mixed ethnic background could have a variety of matches.

"We don't know what will be his match," said Gurucharri.

Gurucharri started her process of organizing the drive soon after discovering her father's illness by searching articles online from The Observer about University-sponsored blood drives. She contacted former Zahm Hall rector Father Jim Lies, who is currently at the University of Minnesota.

Lies helped her by giving her more information about the drive for Murphy, who had been a Zahm Hall resident.

Gurucharri talked to Nick Fellers, a friend and Notre Dame graduate who eventually led her to student government. Coincidentally, both the senior class and the Minority Pre-Med Society wanted to do a bone marrow drive.

"It was really pretty impressive that all of this was happening at the same time," said Gurucharri. "We all coordinated the efforts and got it going."

Howard Hall, Gurucharri's dorm, also supported her as a co-sponsor with the other two groups. The money came from "The Shirt" fund to pay for Life Source blood services, A Chicago-based company, to come to campus for the drive.

"When you talk about a Notre Dame family, this is the perfect example," said Senior Class President Pete Rossman.

The senior class lost three people to cancer – Murphy, Brionne Clary and Miranda Thomas. Both Rossman and Lisa Sestile, the senior class secretary, said they remembered the drive for Murphy, which drew hundreds of supporters, and were looking forward to the same turnout.

"We'd love to see the same results this time around," said Sestile, adding that she wanted to do "one last thing in memory of our classmates."

All potential donors at Tuesday's drive will give about a teaspoon of blood to the National Bone Marrow Donor Program. In the case that a potential donor would be a match for a patient, the donor would receive a call and would undergo additional testing to guarantee a match exists.

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