It was his birthday but he wasn’t there. He would have turned 63 and his family and friends would have gathered together to show him how much they loved him. But instead, a different kind of celebration was held. The Gil Marks Donor Pool was launched at a small ceremony in the presence of Gil’s 89 year old active, perky mother, his brother-in-law, his devoted nephews and nieces and some greats from the fourth generation.
For his mother, especially, his birthday was one of the hardest days but made much easier by the knowledge that, in spite of the fact that he never married, the bone marrow donor pool created in his memory will be an everlasting legacy. It will save the lives of so many others –many of them children who will mature and produce the offspring that Gil never had.
Several months ago, Gil A’H lost the battle to cancer. A bone marrow transplant, often the remedy for many types of cancer, was not an option in Gil’s case. Continue reading He Wasn’t There


