The purpose of this much-needed fund drive is to establish a Bone Marrow Drive non-profit 501(c)3 corporation, website and podcast. The Why? This is part of my story.
My name is Scott Douglas Weathersby. I live in Bainbridge, Georgia, and I am 66 years old and semi-retired. I was a self-employed contractor specializing in remodeling, and I've done many things in construction. I started building structural steel buildings, multi-floor steel buildings, manufacturing plants, and then building regular steel buildings. I started my own business doing little things like just putting on doorknobs and hanging doors and handyman stuff and grew the business into both remodeling and new homes. That all came to a halt when I was diagnosed with LEUKEMIA.
I was referred to a doctor at Emory Hospital in Atlanta and was up there for several months. The first thing that needed to be done was to find a bone marrow donor since that was the best treatment. I was fortunate to find a perfect bone marrow match with my sister. Many of the people on my hospital floor or in cancer hospitals don't have that luxury and have to rely on donors. There is a significant shortage of donors and far too many needy people. Of the dozen or so people who shared my floor in 2000, I am the ONLY survivor.
Now that I am a semi-retired SURVIVOR, I want to start giving back and helping people who need a LIFE-SAVING BONE MARROW TRANSPLANT. I will need to establish a non-profit corporation to be approved and granted 501(c)3 IRS Exemption status to receive tax-exempt donations. I want to host community-based Bone Marrow Drives and create an environment online to establish a website for announcements, patient stories, and bone-marrow calendar of scheduled event drives. I also plan to start the Scott the Survivor Podcast to share my experiences and interview prospective patients, bone marrow donors who need encouragement from someone who has experienced it and Leukemia medical specialist providers.
