DKMS' 4th Annual Gala: Linked Against Leukemia to be Held at Cipriani 42nd Street on Thursday, April 29th

NEW YORK, April 26 /PRNewswire/ -- DKMS, the world's largest bone marrow donor center, will further its fight against leukemia with the organization's 4th Annual DKMS Gala on Thursday, April 29th at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York City.

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Oscar winning actress and Coty partner, Halle Berry and Coty CEO and the Gala's Honorary Chair, Bernd Beetz will present Island Def Jam Chairman, Antonio 'LA' Reid with the "DKMS Linked Against Leukemia Award," in recognition of his tireless work in fighting cancer and supporting organizations and charities which do the same. Reid will follow in the footsteps of past DKMS honorees', Joe Uva, CEO of Univision Communications Inc., Cindy Crawford, who lost her brother to leukemia, and Manny Chirico, CEO of Phillips-Van Heusen, a lymphoma survivor himself.

"I am extremely honored to receive the prestigious DKMS Linked Against Leukemia Award," said LA Reid, Chairman, Island Def Jam Music Group. "Leukemia affects thousands of people every year and kills more children in the U.S. than any other disease. Many patients could be saved by a bone marrow transplant, but there simply aren't enough donors to save everyone. I encourage everyone to sign up to save a life."

Access Hollywood's Shaun Robinson will MC the black tie event which will feature an emotional first time leukemia patient and donor meeting. The evening will also include a very special performance by legendary music icon, Jon Bon Jovi. All proceeds raised will go directly to enrolling life-saving bone marrow donors.

The Empire State Building will also be lit red & white on Thursday, April 29th in honor of the Coty/DKMS Linked Against Leukemia Partnership.

DKMS Beginnings:

At just fourteen years old, Katharina Harf, EVP of DKMS Americas lost her mother to the life-threatening disease. She was in need of a bone marrow transplant and the search for a life-saving donor seemed hopeless because, at the time, there were only 3,000 unrelated donors available.

"After my mother's death, my father continued the fight by recruiting thousands more bone marrow donors," said Harf. "I have since made it my goal to continue my mother's legacy by helping other leukemia patients, so no family has to go through the same pain we did."

Each year, more than 140,000 people are diagnosed with a blood cancer, such as leukemia or lymphoma. Less than 30% of patients can find a match in their own family; the other 70% must search for an unrelated donor. Sadly, only 4 out of 10 patients will receive the transplant that could save their lives.

ABOUT DKMS

The DKMS mission is to save lives by recruiting bone marrow donors for leukemia patients. More than 20,000 DKMS donors have helped save lives by donating their bone marrow. DKMS is the largest and most experienced bone marrow donor center in the world with over 2 million registered donors. DKMS Americas is a 501 (c)(3) nonprofit organization. For more information about DKMS visit www.dkmsamericas.org.

ABOUT THE COTY-DKMS LINKED AGAINST LEUKEMIA PARTNERSHIP

In October 2006, Coty Inc., a global beauty leader, joined DKMS, the world's largest non-profit bone marrow donor center, in the fight against leukemia by establishing the Coty-DKMS Linked Against Leukemia partnership. Led by CEO Bernd Beetz, Coty has leveraged its strong celebrity partnerships to raise awareness of the disease and help recruit thousands of donors around the world.  Additionally, Coty has assisted DKMS in establishing independent DKMS organizations in the Americas and Poland with plans to open offices elsewhere in Europe in the coming years. Leukemia, one of the leading causes of cancer deaths worldwide, personally affected the Coty family when the wife of longtime Coty Chairman Peter Harf succumbed to the disease in 1991.

SOURCE DKMS