About MarrowLink
Why We Started
For four years, I volunteered with ICAN supporting South Asian families fighting blood cancers. I translated discharge papers. I sat with families receiving terrible news. And I kept hearing the same heartbreaking story: "We can't find a match. There aren't enough South Asian donors."
The statistics are brutal:
- South Asians represent only 3% of the national bone marrow registry
- South Asian patients have less than a 40% chance of finding a successful match
- White patients? A 79% match rate
- This means 1 in 3 South Asian patients will never find the donor they desperately need
This isn't a shortage of donors. It's a shortage of South Asian donors. Our genetics require ethnic matching, a reality that our healthcare system often overlooks.
I realized I could do more than translate papers and comfort families. I could help close this gap.
— Anvi Kodali
Meet the Team
Anvi Kodali
Founder & Director
South Asian healthcare advocate. ICAN volunteer (4 years). Passionate about addressing health equity in our community.
Anya Kodali
Community Partnerships Lead
Connects MarrowLink with temples, community centers, and cultural organizations.
[Volunteer Name]
Social Media Manager
Spreads awareness through Instagram, TikTok, and school networks.
[Volunteer Name]
Volunteer Coordinator
Trains and supports student volunteers at drives.
Our Mission
MarrowLink addresses the critical shortage of South Asian bone marrow donors by:
- Hosting community drives at temples, cultural centers, and college campuses where South Asian adults (18-40) gather
- Educating communities about bone marrow donation, genetic matching, and health equity in transplantation
- Removing barriers by conducting drives in culturally competent ways—in our languages, honoring our traditions, and addressing our specific concerns
- Building a pipeline of young, diverse South Asian donors for the future
We partner with Be The Match®, the national bone marrow registry, to ensure all registrations are official and add to the national database. Our work is to bring the registration process to you.