health

Dover freshman seeking blood stem cell donor

Dover freshman seeking blood stem cell donor

Brian Rojas, 14, of Dover Plains needs a lifesaving blood stem cell transplant. According to DKMS, an international organization dedicated to helping people fight blood cancers, 70% of patients suffering from blood-related illnesses rely on donors from outside their families.

Photo provided

DOVER PLAINS — Brian Rojas, of Dover Plains, and his family are seeking blood stem cell donors to aid in his fight against myelodysplastic syndromes, a group of disorders caused by deformed or malfunctioning blood cells.

A donor drive to search for eligible stem cell donors will be held Saturday, March 8, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Knights of Columbus Grand Ballroom on Westchester Avenue in Port Chester, New York.

The donor drive is a simple swab to find an eligible donor. According to DKMS, an international organization dedicated to fighting blood cancers and helping families find donors, 70% of patients suffering from blood-related illnesses rely on donors from outside their families. Minority populations are underrepresented in the donor pool. Hispanic patients like Rojas have a harder time finding eligible donors.

Anyone in good health — especially members of the hispanic community — between the age of 18 to 55 is encouraged to attend the donor drive March 8. Potential registrants will review medical eligibility, fill out a registration form, swab the insides of their cheeks, and then drop off their completed packet before leaving the drive.

Rojas is a freshman at Dover Plains high school where he is an honors student and active student athlete.

Rojas’s latest struggle with myelodysplastic syndromes is just the latest in a lifetime of dealing with illness. At four years old Rojas was diagnosed with a rare genetic brain disease and received gene therapy, allowing him a second chance at life.

health

Latest News

Millerton Police Dept. rebuilds after fire; new cruisers on the way

Millerton Police Dept. rebuilds after fire; new cruisers on the way

The borrowed Pine Plains cruiser parked on Main Street in front of the Millerton Inn during the Millerton Street Fair on Saturday, June 28.

Photo by Aly Morrissy

MILLERTON — After receiving substantial state grant funding in July 2024 and beginning to roll out new equipment that fall, the Millerton Police Department suffered a setback when the February fire at the Village Water and Highway Department building destroyed much of its newly acquired gear — including patrol vehicles outfitted with cutting-edge technology.

Thanks to full-value insurance coverage and swift support from the Town of Pine Plains — which loaned the department a vehicle — Millerton officers were able to remain active in the community. Millerton Police Chief Joseph Olenik said two custom-built, four-wheel-drive Ford Interceptor cruisers are now in production and are expected to arrive by the end of the summer.

Keep ReadingShow less

Uncertainty looms over Millerton community pool timeline

Uncertainty looms over Millerton community pool timeline

Groundbreaking of the new pool planned for Eddie Collins Park has been delayed after the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation intervened to determine the status of wetlands in the proposed building site.

Archive photo

MILLERTON — The long-awaited groundbreaking for a new community pool at Eddie Collins Memorial Park — once expected this past April — now faces significant delays with no definitive timeline in sight, Mayor Jenn Najdek said.

The primary setback stems from a still-pending permitting process, as the village awaits final approvals from the Dutchess County Board of Health and the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation regarding septic placement and wetland buffers. A patch of wetlands on the site — roughly five feet by five feet, Najdek said — requires a protective buffer, which could range anywhere from 5 to 100 feet. That determination will dictate whether the current pool design needs to be altered or moved altogether.

Keep ReadingShow less

North East town records brought into the digital age

North East town records brought into the digital age

Chris Virtuoso reorganized parcel records in the North East Town Hall basement by parcel number during the process of scanning and digitizing the documents.

Photo by Grace DeMarco

MILLERTON — Within the walls of the two-story Victorian housing the North East Town Hall lies a room-full of town records dating back to the late 19th century. Stored in labeled cardboard boxes and protected by dehumidifiers, the records are in the process of being dated, organized, and scanned into categorized online programs.

As the Town Hall works to relocate to 5603 Route 22 at the former Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witness, the consolidation and digitalization of records, as well as the disposal of those unneeded, is a time-sensitive project. Marcy Wheatley, the Deputy Town Clerk, emphasized their current heavy focus on organizing and scanning. “Now, when we move, we can get rid of a lot,” Wheatley stated.

Keep ReadingShow less

Fun, food and facts bring crowds to downtown Millerton

Fun, food and facts bring crowds to downtown Millerton

Nora Garcia, 6, of Millerton, bottom right, gets a face painting treatment from Maddy Rowe, a Webutuck High School senior. Nora’s sister, Juliana, 8, top right, is decorated by Giana Kall, a Webutuck senior. The program was sponsored by the Webutuck PTA.

Photo by John Coston

Locals and visitors packed into downtown Millerton Saturday, June 28, for the first ever Millerton Street Fair hosted by the Millerton News, the Millerton Business Alliance and Townscape. Representatives from local nonprofits, businesses along Main Street, Bee Bee the Clown and face painters from Webutuck High School drew in crowds all afternoon.

Festivities officially opened at 10 a.m., and a steady stream of visitors soon followed. Volunteer firefighters hosted a bouncy castle, a duck pool, a “put out the fire” ring toss game, and the “touch a truck” event at the fire department’s garage.

Keep ReadingShow less