This is a copy of a letter via e-mail from long time BRUSHBUSTER Al Temple on 2/25

Greetings,

Point blank we have an emergency and we need your help. My name is Al Temple and I am a member of the Brushbusters from Portland Oregon. A fellow member has discovered he has a life threatening blood disease. Jason Veal is his name. He is 18 years old.

He has alplastic anemia. He can't make red cells or white cells or even platlets which help you clot. He undergoing almost daily blood transfusions. I am trying to help his dad Alan Veal also a great friend in dealing with this life changing event. Alan has insurance but it does not cover prescriptions. One month for Alan will be 6500.00 dollars. I really need your help to spread this message. The least we would ask for a is nothing but a prayer. What we really need is a bone marrow donor. Jason is very young and has great chances being his age. If he were 40 like me he would only have a 50 % chance only if he got a bone marrow transplant. Alan and I have found a way to be tested through the american red cross. It was 300 dollars but we found a way to do it for 85.00 targeting Jason specifically.

It's easy!

Call American red cross and ask to be tested for HLA typing in the name of Jason Veal.
Give them the names of Noreen or Ellen at OHSU. (oregon health sciences unit) with a phone number of 503-494-5008.

They must have this info beforehand. They will be waiting for your sample.

I am to be tested on Monday morning. Blood type does not matter.

Jason will take on the donors blood type. Its 6 chromosomes that need to match in the DNA. What can a donor expect?

A blood test to see if there is a match. A little further screening to make sure. 5 days of shots that makes your stem cells grow and release in the blood stream, then you would sit in a chair for a few hours having blood taken from one arm and brought through a machine that removes stem cells and returned into your other arm.

Pretty darn minor compared to a decade ago. Alan's insurance covers this....

I please ask you to pass this on.

Even if you can't be a donor and might be able to contribute, please

see the attached flyer to see how. I can also answer questions at my email address. altempl@ihpc.net Jason really is a good kid. Both Alan and Jason are very generous always helping without being asked. They say it comes back to you. Please help me prove that.

Please forward this anywhere you see fit. This is very time sensitive.

Thanks, Al Temple

an update from Al on 3/7; Greetings all,

    I have some very good news. Last Tuesday a 12 for 12 DNA match was made for Jason and he now has a donor!!!!!

It will be three months till the transplant takes place. Jason will be in solitary for 100 days while he grows new marrow. The donor is anynomous and is required to stay that way for 1 year.

This is huge. Jason is in a hospital room next to a person who has been waiting for 2 and a half years. Jason found his match in roughly 33 days. It was a very good thing as he was starting to reject the transfusions. This normally happens a year or two into the disease.

The hard part is not over. Alan still needs in excess of 200,00 thousand dollars to give Jason what he needs. If you have been contributing to this issue, Please don't let up at all!!! I am doing what I can to help raise money. I am considering contacting Jesse James from Los Angles West coast Choppers. I even thought about Opra. I am working on an Ebay auction to give all earnings to Alan.
We need innovative thinking to help raise medical money. Do you have any ideas?

This is EXACTLY why we need health care reform here. It saddens me that an 18 year old kid can't get the help he needs without finiancially destroying the rest of the family. I will continue to work this on my end.

I do apologize for taking almost a week to get this out. I unfortunately discovered the flu that everyone has been having and have been in bed.

I think it would help to have some phone numbers handy.

Al Temple Home 503-543-8976 pager 503-599-jeep (5337)

Alan Veal cell 503-939-2977

Even a prayer every now and then is great. Thank you for listening..

                                                Al Temple.

Let's all chip in and do our part for one of our own!

For more info go to http://thigh190.tripod.com/id17.html