Friends of Bonney Lake Mayor Neil Johnson are hosting a silent auction and dinner to support Johnson and his family in his battle against leukemia. In addition, Cascade Regional Blood Services will be hosting a bone marrow donor drive.

The event is scheduled for May 18 at Swiss Park in Bonney Lake, 92505 198th Ave E. Doors will open at 6pm and a spaghetti dinner will start at 6:30. Dinner will be followed by a dessert auction and bidding on silent auction items will take place throughout the evening.

All of the proceeds will go to help the Johnson family with medical expenses.

Johnson was diagnosed with Chronic Myelogenous Leukemia (CML), a cancer of the marrow and blood, in February. CML accounts for about 10 to 15 percent of all leukemia. In 2010 about 4,870 new cases of CML were expected to be diagnosed.

Johnson immediately started being treated with oral drug therapies and continued that treatment until March 15 when he was admitted to the University of Washington Medical Center with a high fever and started undergoing intravenous chemotherapy. On March 17, Mayor Johnson’s condition was elevated to the final stage of CML called “Blast Crisis” phase. He continues to be treated with chemotherapy, but the best option for surviving this type of cancer is a bone marrow transplant.

Most often the bone marrow donor is a sibling or close relative but Johnson’s two siblings have both been tested and were found to not be a match for a transplant. The search has started for a matched unrelated donor.

Guests at May 18 event will have the opportunity to join the national bone marrow registry. In order to join the registry you must be between the ages of 18 and 60, be willing to donate to any patient in need and meet the health guidelines. To be added to the registry, donors must complete a registration form and swab the inside of their cheek to collect cells for HLA tissue typing. A match will typically be found from an individual of similar ethnic background.

The need for non-Caucasian donors is much greater than that of Caucasians. As a member of an extended Pacific Islander family, Johnson’s wife Mary Ann Johnson encouraged those of mixed racial backgrounds to join the registry. There is no charge to be added to the registry, but donations will be accepted to help cover administrative costs. The Be The Match registry is operated by The National Marrow Donor Program. For more information please call 1-800-MARROW-2 or visit www.BeTheMatch.org.

Johnson has been the mayor of the City of Bonney Lake since 2006. He serves as a part-time mayor for the city and works full-time as the Marketing and Sales Manager for Rotary Offset Press in Kent. He has lived in Bonney Lake since 1990 with his wife Mary Ann and daughters Rendi and Jadyn.

Tickets to the May 18 fundraiser are available for purchase at www.teambonneylake.org. The cost for dinner is $20 if purchased prior to the event or $25 at the door.

Donations may also be made on the website or at an account set up at Harborstone Credit Union, 20608 state Route 410 E in Bonney Lake. Donations will also be accepted at the event to help cover the cost of adding individuals to the Be The Match registry.

For questions about the event or to donate auction items, please email webmaster@teambonneylake.org.