Major General Eliezer Shkedi, Air Force Commander in Chief, Visits Tel Hashomer Induction Base and Joins Ezer Mizion's Bone Marrow Donor Registry

During his recent visit to the Tel Hashomer Induction Base, Major General Eliezer Shkedi, Air Force Commander in Chief, stopped at the various stations along the induction chain. He spoke with the new recruits and their families and congratulated them on joining the IDF Air Force Family.

As part of his tour, he visited Ezer Mizion's blood sample Collection Station, a separate building on the induction base where blood samples are drawn from the new recruits who choose to join Ezer Mizion's Bone Marrow Registry as part of their induction into the IDF. 

Major General Shkedi decided to join Ezer Mizion's Registry as well by giving a blood sample during his visit.

In summer 2005, Ezer Mizion signed a cooperative agreement with the IDF by which Ezer Mizion would operate a blood sample collection center at the Induction Base where each recruit would be given the opportunity to join Ezer Mizion's bone marrow registry as part of the induction process.

Thousands of youths join the army every year, comprising an ideal potential stem cell donor group: young and healthy individuals who have complete health profiles and who will be able to remain within the registry and serve as potential donors for many years to come. 

Another major advantage of adding the recruits to the registry is that they represent a broad array of all ethnicities, greatly increasing the variety of possible genetic combinations.

As of January 2008, over 63,000 new recruits have joined the Registry, of which 208 were found to be complete matches.  Of these matches, 36 have actually donated stem cells and saved lives of cancer patients throughout the world. The others are in various stages of the process toward donating their bone marrow cells.