Kenny Conidaris blood & marrow drive reaches out
For the Conidaris family, the story of 14-year-old Dalton Siderno hit home.
Hard.
The Naples teen was diagnosed with aplastic anemia and PNH, both serious blood conditions, in April.
The Conidaris know what getting that news means to a family. One of their own, Kenny Conidaris, has battled aplastic anemia since he was 11.
While Kenny Conidaris never found a match, he’s held the condition at bay, grown to adulthood and is employed in the medical field. He’s married and recently had a baby.
They would like to see Dalton have the same kind of future and so added a component to the 13th annual “Kenny Conidaris Blood and Marrow Drive” at the Lani Kai on the Beach to include testing to help find a match for Dalton.
Those with aplastic anemia have bone marrow that does not make enough blood cells for the body, and PNH is a rare blood disease that causes red blood cells to break apart. Dalton needs a bone marrow transplant to survive.
While Kenny Conidaris has the same diagnosis, with help from the blood drives and treatments, he’s been able to live not only longer but better. The Lani Kai and the Conidaris family continue doing this event every year, especially this year with a new youth in need.
“The outpouring of love and support has always made my heart happy, Kenny’s grown up, had children of his own, and I don’t think we could have gotten close without the communities support,” said Kathy Conidaris, Kenny’s mom and organizer for the bone marrow portion of the event held this past Saturday.
On average, they receive anywhere from 20-25 matches to patients in need at each event but, according to the Institute of Justice website, 7,500 patients are actively searching for matches at any given point. With only 2 percent of the population on the registry, it makes it severely more difficult to find matches.
The blood drive is run by Lee Health, with Blood Center supervisor and grill master extraordinaire for the event Jeremy Puckett. Blood donations are at an all-time need in the U.S., with an estimated 4.5 million Americans needing a transfusion each year.
“We can see upwards of 100 blood donors per event, and we’re closing in on 60 so far only halfway through, so it’s always good to see this kind of support from the community,” Puckett said Saturday.
The final totals for donors floated around the 70 persons mark, which is an accomplishment in itself.
In addition to its serious mission, the annual event is also a fun one.
There were games, toys and prizes for children, a dunk tank, live entertainment, a cookout lunch and donuts for donors, along with snacks and others treats.