Janet Liang has died after receiving the bone marrow she and others had worked so hard to make possible. While she lived, she inspired many to register in the bone marrow registry, potentially saving many many others. Some might be discouraged to register because Janet died after receiving a transplant, but many do survive, like Amit Gupta. There also remains ways to help Janet’s family and the people who still wait for a bone marrow match and transplant, like 2 year old Jeremy Kong.
The Helping Janet folks are now raising funds to help Janet’s family with funeral costs. Another way to honor her memory is to register in the bone marrow registry if you have not already done so. Ruby Law of the Asian American Donors Program says that one reason Janet’s transplant was not successful was that it took so long for her to get the transplant (3 years) that her body wasn’t able to accept it. There are other people waiting for a bone marrow match, such as 2 year old Jeremy Kong, profiled below. Jeremy needs a transplant by the end of the year.