Rap star Nelly starts marrow donor recruitment campaign to help sister with leukemia

Jet, June 2, 2003

Nelly has scored big in the recording industry and now the Grammy Award-winning rapper is hoping to score even bigger as a humanitarian to save the life of his sister.

The popular hip-hop performer has recently organized Jes Us 4 Jackie, a nationwide awareness and recruitment campaign to find a marrow donor for his sister, Jackie Donahue, who has leukemia and is in immediate need of a bone marrow transplant and needs a donor.

The campaign will educate and recruit others to join the registry to save lives. Donahue has teamed up with her famous brother to start the campaign.

"Jes Us 4 Jackie will raise awareness across the country in order to increase the number of donors on the National Marrow Donor Program Registry," said Donahue.

Nelly and Donahue are enlisting the help of celebrities and the general public to participate in the campaign. On June 21, Jes Us 4 Jackie is sponsoring a nationwide donor drive for patients in need of bone marrow transplants through Nelly's non-profit organization, 4 Sho 4 Kids.

The campaign is staging simultaneous events in Los Angeles, New York and St. Louis, their hometown. 4 Sho 4 Kids is sponsoring the cost of the test to join the registry.