Boebert denies worthy program

Re: “Boebert invites controversy again,” April 17 news story

As a bone marrow transplant recipient and the former chair of the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) board of directors, I was extremely dismayed to see Rep. Lauren Boebert vote against the reauthorization of a lifesaving program and spread misinformation about NMDP.

I am incredibly proud of the work this nonprofit does, including saving my life. For more than three decades, in partnership with the federal government, NDMP has operated the nation’s registry of unrelated bone marrow donors — selfless individuals willing to donate their cells to save the life of a patient suffering from leukemia, lymphoma, or another 70 different diseases. During that time, NMDP has facilitated over 105,000 transplants, all of which have involved cells voluntarily donated by either an adult donor, or cells collected from the umbilical cord, which occurs only after a fullterm delivery.

It’s unfortunate that Boebert peddled in misinformation and has not yet corrected her misstatements, but I am extraordinarily grateful for the support from the rest of her colleagues in Congress who, with overwhelming bipartisan support for this donor program.

Rebecca A. Lewis, Steamboat Springs