Get Up 8 Auction on Sept. 30 to Benefit Krissy Kobata

Krissy Kobata (behind banner, on left) and some of her supporters.

ORANGE — Get Up 8 holds its sixth annual auction fundraiser on Saturday, Sept. 30, at Dave & Busters at The Outlets at Orange, 20 City Blvd. W, Bldg. G #1 in Orange.

The event starts at 7 p.m. with participant registration. The Riviera buffet dinner will be served at 7:30 p.m. Each ticket to “The Auction” is $100 and includes dinner, drinks and desserts, as well as entrance into an exciting raffle.

This year there will be three live raffles with multiple chances to win cash and prizes. The prizes this year will consist of two Disneyland Signature Passes, a 13″ MacBook Air Laptop and a big-screen television.

In addition, “The Auction” will have an extensive silent auction and general raffle. For more information on the event and for a short presentation on what to expect at the live auction, visit the webpage at www.getup8.org.

The recipient for this year’s auction is Krissy Kobata. Born and raised in Los Angeles, she was 25 when she was diagnosed with a blood disorder called myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS), a condition in which her bone marrow does not produce normal blood cells. The condition is also known as “pre-leukemia.”

Kobata’s most recent blood work and bone marrow biopsy showed her RBC, WBC, platelets and neutrophils are at levels so low she will need to act very soon. After a decade-long search for a matching bone marrow donor, Kobata is scheduled to receive a bone marrow transplant in October from her brother, an imperfect match who was ineligible to donate before the recent development of a new treatment.

She will undergo intense chemo for five days, followed by the bone marrow transfusion. Her stay is estimated at seven weeks if there are no reactions or rejections, then another six months of careful watching at home for signs of rejection.

Her supporters, known as Team Krissy, have gotten 8,000 people added to the national bone marrow registry through donor drives and online campaigns. Team Krissy was formed in 2008 to support Kobata in finding her bone marrow donor match. Get Up 8 is helping with Kobata’s financials as she fights through the process of her bone marrow transplant.