MINNEAPOLIS, Sept. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- Although the "Chase for the
NASCAR Sprint Cup" is already underway, four-time champion Jeff Gordon
stepped away from his on-track duties earlier today to visit Capitol Hill.
Gordon met with key lawmakers, including the House of Representatives North
Carolina delegation, to urge their continued support of the National Marrow
Donor Program (NMDP).

    The NMDP, a nonprofit organization, serves a vital role in the U.S.
health care system by facilitating unrelated marrow and cord blood
transplants to treat patients with more than 70 diseases including
leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia.

    "I have watched some very good friends battle leukemia who were not
able to find a match. Their struggle has made me more passionate about and
committed to increasing awareness about public cord blood banking and the
work of the NMDP," said Gordon.

    Gordon is a longtime advocate for the NMDP and board member of its
fundraising partner, The Marrow Foundation. Through the Jeff Gordon
Foundation, he has advocated for the NMDP and the need for Congress to
support the use of publicly donated umbilical cord blood to save the lives
of patients with life-threatening diseases who need a transplant.

    "I was honored to meet with NASCAR champion Jeff Gordon today to
discuss The Marrow Foundation and the NMDP -- two important charities that
are supported by the Jeff Gordon Foundation," said Congressman Robin Hayes
(NC-08). "These charities are dedicated to supporting the physical, social
and intellectual needs that many children, adults and their families face
when diagnosed with a blood disorder. I look forward to working with The
Jeff Gordon Foundation and learning more about NMDP and The Marrow
Foundation in the future."

    Each year, more than 10,000 Americans are diagnosed with
life-threatening diseases that can only be cured with a bone marrow or cord
blood transplant from an unrelated donor; they are among the 70 percent of
patients who do not have a matched donor in their family. Patients and
physicians can turn to the NMDP to identify matching cord blood units, as
well as adult donors for bone marrow and peripheral blood stem cells, when
a family donor is not available.

    "The NMDP represents a tremendous success story due in large part to
the wisdom of Congress and the altruism of the American people. As a
result, the NMDP operates the largest, most successful Registry in the
world," said Dr. Jeffery W. Chell, chief executive officer of the NMDP. "We
need Congress to continue its support of public cord blood banking to
maintain the great progress we've achieved. We are thankful to Jeff Gordon
for his heartfelt contribution to our efforts."

    Over the past 10 years, Gordon and The Jeff Gordon Foundation have
worked with the NMDP and the Hendrick Marrow Program to support donor
recruitment, advocacy programs and patient assistance programming.

    About the National Marrow Donor Program

    The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) is a not-for-profit
organization that operates the C.W. Bill Young Cell Transplantation
Program, which was created by Congress to act as the single point of access
for a long-standing collaborative network of national and international
leading medical facilities in marrow and cord blood transplantation. With
its research partner, the Center for International Blood and Marrow
Transplant Research (CIBMTR), the NMDP also collects and analyzes marrow
and cord blood transplant outcomes data to help improve transplants for
patients. In its 20-year history, the NMDP has facilitated more than 30,000
transplants.

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