Monmouth County Broom & Brew Pitches in to Help Marlboro Mom Find Stem Cell Match

Voices were heard bubbling up the old stone staircase of a private room below Trinity Restaurant in Keyport Sunday morning as members of the Monmouth County Broom & Brew ran a stem cell donor drive in honor of Shira Klein.

Klein, a Marlboro mother of three, has been battling Hodgkins Lymphoma since 2010. After several treatments and subsequent relapses, Klein is now looking for her stem cell donor as she undergoes another round of chemotherapy.

Kris Bradley, of Broom & Brew, a ladies' Pagan social group, was moved by a letter written by Shira's husband Justin to Patch readers that asked the community to help save Shira's life.

"The letter her husband wrote was just so heart-touching, and seeing the picture with her kids. I just had to do something," the Cliffwood Beach resident said, noting that it especially struck a chord when she thought of her own three children.

Bradley reached out to Charlie Merle, the owner of Trinity Restaurant, to see if she could use the room located under the restaurant.

"He was happy to host us," she said. "He's very involved in the local community."

Ange DeFranco, Lauren LeClair, Joe Johnson, Jenn Rudolph, Cole Rudolph and Kristen McLaughlin, all of Monmouth County Broom & Brew, volunteered to help swab cheeks for stem cells.

At the end of the drive, 20 people were swabbed and the group raised $50.

"I was hoping for a better turn out, but I'm hoping the reason was that there are so many wonderful drives being done all over New Jersey, and the U.S," Bradley said in an email after the drive. "It's amazing to think that one of those twenty could be a match for someone."

Did you miss the donor drive but still want to help? You can donate financially online or by mailing a check to Smiles4Shira at 63 Riverside Drive in Red Bank, get swabbed on any day at Belvidere Pharmacy, or plan your own drive by emailing drives4shira@gmail.com. 

You can also "like" Smiles4Shira on Facebook to stay in the loop.