Houska/Houska 2009

How much difference can one person make?

Just ask Andrew, the boy whose life was saved at the age of eight by a transplant of bone marrow donated by Dennis Houska. Dennis first became a blood donor in 1978, when his mother was diagnosed with cancer. As he learned more about the need for blood, tissue, organ, and bone marrow donations - and how little it takes to make a life-saving donation - he became committed to raising awareness and recruiting donors.

In the 1990s, he founded the Houska Houska, a 5K race held annually in Fort Collins to raise funds for bone marrow donor programs in Colorado. The recipient of Houska's donated bone marrow, Andrew, now a healthy young man and a designated member of Houska's extended family, is a regular race participant.





Thanks for another great race. Over $23,000 was raised to help the Poudre Valley Hospital Cancer Center and Bone Marrow Donor Program.





Become a Bone Marrow Donor
  • Every year, more than 30,000 children and adults in the U.S. are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases, such as leukemia, for which a blood stem cell transplant could be a cure.
  • More than 70 diseases are treatable by a blood stem cell transplant.
  • Since 1987 the National Marrow Donor Program has facilitated more than 16,000 transplants throughout the world.
  • Only 30% of the patients find a matched donor in their family. 70% of patients in need must search for an unrelated donor.




See more Houska/Houska 2009 Pictures

2009 Was a HUGE success!! Hope to see you in 2010!