Bone marrow drive set for Nesconset man on Sunday

Dustin Wunderlich, whose 26th birthday is Monday, faces an even bigger day Sunday: A bone marrow donor drive is being sponsored for him with the hope a genetically matched Good Samaritan carries a cure for his cancer.

Wunderlich is the founder of a nonprofit called 2Prevail.org, aimed at helping people with leukemia by publicizing their plight on his Web site and encouraging the public to attend bone marrow donor drives.

Now, Wunderlich, of Nesconset, initially diagnosed in 2008, needs help himself.

After being in remission since August when he finished his last cycle of chemotherapy, his cancer, acute myelogenous leukemia, came back in February, prompting a hospitalization that lasted from Feb. 26 until last Saturday.

"My patience level is not very good right now," Wunderlich said Friday. "My mind is everywhere; it's difficult to focus, and the biggest thing with this is to stay focused and mentally right."

Wunderlich and his parents, Steve and Debbie, have partnered with DKMS Americas in Manhattan, the world's largest bone marrow donor center, to sponsor a drive at Temple Beth Elohim, 926 Round Swamp Rd., Old Bethpage, on Sunday from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The public is being asked to donate a sample of cells in an effort to find a possible match. Sampling requires only a quick swipe of cells that line the cheek.

DKMS founder Katharina Harf says leukemia is among the few diseases in which a cure doesn't always emerge from a high-tech drug but from the cells of a genetically matched stranger.

"I welcome anybody's support," Wunderlich said. "Coming to this drive is very important."

His dad, Steve, picks up the rest of the story: "If you had asked me what he would be able to do if faced with this kind of despair, I would never in a million years have guessed he would be so mature, so tough, so focused.

"He worries more about my wife and myself more than himself," Steve Wunderlich added. "His message is: "I am fighting and I will continue fighting and I'm going to beat this bad rap that's been given me."