DETAILS

When
Saturday, April 30, 2022
7:00 am (5K Registration) to 11:30 am (Farewell)

Who
Patients, family members, friends and advocates, sign up, tell your story, create a team, and set a goal to support AAMDSIF!  
Doctors, Nurses, Research Fellows – make this a fun, competitive run or walk with your colleagues. Most spirited or largest team gets a prize!!! Running time is optional.

Where
Together! At Shoreline Village, 429 Shoreline Village Drive, Long Beach CA 90802. Or run or walk through your neighborhood wherever you live, on your treadmill, around your local Mall, or… donate and sleep in! 

What
We can’t say it often enough! Our mission is to raise awareness about rare bone marrow failure diseases and funds to support the patient & family services provided by AAMDSIF and research for better treatments and CURES!

Post your photos and selfies at https://www.facebook.com/marchformarrowla! You can help us make this historic March for Marrow California a huge success!

Schedule
7:00 am - 5K Registration & Packet Pick-Up
8:00 am - 5K Run START
8:15-9:00 am - Walk Registration & Packet Pick-Up
9:00 am - 5K Awards
9:00 am - Auction Opens
9:30 am - Moment of Remembrance, 2022 Champion, Vocal Artist Grace Weber
9:45 am - Group Photo & Walk START
10:00 am-11:00 am - Team Cheers & Photos; Recognition of Sponsors,
Teams, & Volunteers, Memory Board, Face Painting & Children’s Activities
11:00 am - Silent Auction Closes
11:30 am - Close & Invitation to M4M LA 2023 Saturday, April 29, 2023

Registration Options
Adult Walker or Runner (Age 21 and older): $30 each
Student Walker or Runner (14 to 21 enrolled in high school or college): $20 each
Youth Walker or Runner (6 to 13): $15 each
Children 5 and under: Free - donations accepted

Team Pricing Available 
Students Running Teams of 5 or more; $15 each; Coach or Team Organizer download the form for Student Team Registration and contact the Race Director.

Youth Running Teams of 5 or more, $12 each; Coach or Team Organizer download the form for Youth Team Registration and contact the Race Director.

All Student or Youth Walking Teams of 5 or more, $10 each;  Coach or Team Organizer download form for Student or Youth Team Registration and contact the Race Director.

"This run is perfect for new and seasoned runners.  When I can, I run it in memory of my brother, Garrett."

Mia Hamm, US Women's National Soccer Team, 1987-2004

2022 GUEST MEDIA CELEBRITY: Denise Dador, ABC7 Eyewitness News Health Specialist

Health specialist Denise Dador is seen every day on ABC7 Eyewitness News at 4pm and 5pm with her Healthy Living segment. She also provides stories about health issues for other Eyewitness News broadcasts as well as anchoring ABC7 health specials.

Since joining ABC7 in 1998, Denise’s mission has been to help Southern Californians improve their lives with timely medical information and advice. Through her reports, L.A’s top medical experts become accessible and relatable. Throughout the coronavirus pandemic, her stories played a pivotal role in helping Angelenos navigate their changing world. Besides volunteering to help groups that fund medical research and patient care, like AAMDS and March for Marrow LA, Denise also represents KABC in her work with various Asian Pacific Islander and Filipino- American community organizations.

Denise has served as Celebrity Emcee for the 2018 March for Marrow Los Angeles and our 2021 Virtual March for Marrow and has produced several insightful profiles of our March for Marrow Champions: aplastic anemia patient, Krissy Kobata, and PNH patient, Camilla Ricci. She has received numerous journalism and community service awards including national recognition for her work with Asians for Miracle Marrow Matches. She also received Emmy awards for News Feature Reporting and Outstanding Children’s Programming.  

2022 WALK CHAMPION: Joan Durnell-Powell

“Get Busy Living”
In 2014, Joan was handing out candy to her neighborhood’s tiny ghouls and goblins, but the scariest thing that Halloween was a phone call from her doctor. Joan’s heart pounded as the doctor told her she had myelodysplastic syndromes or MDS—a rare blood disorder in which the bone marrow stops functioning properly.

Joan recalled: “She said, ‘Get a piece of paper and write it down.’” The doctor had to spell it three or four times because Joan was so nervous.

It has not been easy for Joan to adapt to the realities of her condition. Her treatment involves frequent blood transfusions, self-administered injections, and expensive medication.  To stay motivated, Joan adopted a motto— “get busy living”—borrowed from The Shawshank Redemption. It is a maxim she embodies to the fullest.

Joan is a powerhouse when advocating for her condition, treatment, and the advancement of scientific research. She’s traveled “from the beaches of California to the Capitol steps,” as an advocate for MDS patients. Since 2015 Joan has been a volunteer Patient Advocate and member of the Patient Education Council for the AAMDSIF. She was recently appointed an AAMDS Support Group Facilitator for the Western United States. She credits this “phenomenal organization” for supporting her and her roller coaster journey with MDS.

Joan believes her role as a patient advocate is especially important as an African American woman, since African Americans are underrepresented at advocacy events. Above all, she wants others to know they aren’t suffering alone—that she is with them.

More than anything, Joan does not dwell on her diagnosis. She makes the most of her time by speaking up for patients, following the latest research and treatment options, and surrounding herself with positive people. She says, “It is my mission to have a better quality of life.”

2022 GUEST ARTIST: Grace Weber

A native of Wisconsin, Grace Weber is very familiar with bone marrow failure diseases. Her family is close friends with Dr. David Margolis, Children’s Hospital of Wisconsin, who serves on the AAMDS Medical Advisory Board.

When she was just nine years old, she participated with her beautiful young voice in a number of fundraisers for the hospital and for Mia Hamm’s brother, Garrett, as he went through his bone marrow transplant.

All grown up, Grace says that the most powerful moments in music have come from abandoning all expectations. Compounded with Weber’s ineffable talent, her joyfully uninhibited approach has brought a whirlwind of success in recent years. In 2016, Weber penned the opening track on Chance the Rapper’s Coloring Book (“All We Got” feat. Kanye West & Chicago Children’s Choir), then saw the groundbreaking mixtape go on to win Best Rap Album at the 2017 Grammy Awards, winning Weber her first Grammy. 

Weber has toured North America with PJ Morton, South America with Chance, and appeared on TinyDesk with Goldlink, all while continuing her work with 'Grace Weber's Music La.' (a Milwaukee-based nonprofit she founded to offer free music education to high school students).

Most recently, Weber released her highly anticipated debut album, “A Beautiful Space” (executive produced by The Social Experiment), quickly followed by her first ever headlining tour. Hear more of her original works as a singer, songwriter and producer here.