Ridgewood man battling blood cancer needs bone marrow transplant

RIDGEWOOD Its been almost two months since Ed Schwartz learned he has an aggressive form of blood cancer that could kill him.

The 46-year-old environmentalist from Ridgewood needs a stem cell transplant to elevate his chances of surviving his acute myeloid leukemia diagnosis from 15- to 60-percent.

Temple Beth Israel on Grove Street will host a donor drive on Sunday, aimed at finding possible matches for Schwartz, who has been undergoing chemotherapy treatments since learning of his cancer.

Acute myeloid leukemia is a cancer that attacks the blood-forming tissue of the bone marrow.

During the donor drive, which runs from 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., healthy people ages 18 to 44 will undergo a cheek swab. Volunteers must be willing to donate to any patient.

Theres a catch, though: An Ashkenazi Jewish man, Schwartz needs to find a match who is also of Russian, Hungarian and Polish decent.

Thats very specific, but we recently learned that out of the 22 million on the donor registry, theres not a single match for me, Schwartz said.

People have been so supportive these last two months, and Im just hoping we get a good turnout, he added, because the more donors you get, the better it is for everybody.

Though the last two months have been hard for him, theyve been especially difficult on Schwartzs wife, Julie, and the couples son.

Since the diagnosis, Schwartz, who said this week he has good days and bad, has tried to always remain positive and keep his sense of humor about the situation.

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Ridgewood man battling blood cancer needs bone marrow transplant