All was well for
Jennifer Jones Austin and her family in the recent months leading into the
holiday season.
Jen ÂÂÂÂ-- as she is
often referred to by those close to her -- the 41 year old wife of Shawn Austin
and mother to a daughter 12 and son eight, has garnered great contentment in
numerous areas of her life.
The daughter of the
highly regarded former pastor of Bethany
Baptist Church,
the late Dr. William Augustus Jones, not only developed a fulfilling family
life but a satisfying and purposeful professional existence as well.
As an attorney for
nearly 20 years, Jennifer Jones Austin has advocated for disenfranchised
children and families within New
York State
and abroad. The native New Yorker, Jones Austin has served the needs
of the less fortunate in a multitude of capacities both within the public and
private sector.
Jones Austin served as New York City’s first Family Services
Coordinator, a position to which she was appointed by Mayor Bloomberg after
serving four years as a Deputy Commissioner in the City's Administration for
Children's Services.
As Family
Services Coordinator, Jones Austin was responsible for leading multiple
interagency initiatives for children and families of the city. Jennifer’s
services would further be called upon as she played a key role in helping to
coordinate and advance the Mayor’s anti-poverty initiatives.
Jones Austin
also held the position of Civil Rights Deputy Bureau Chief for Policy,
Legislation and Public Outreach for then-Attorney General Eliot Spitzer. Within
the realm of advocacy for the education rights of children, Jones Austin served
as the Vice President of Development for LearnNow/Edison Schools Inc.
In 2008
the accomplished attorney accepted a position with the United Way of New York City as the Senior Vice President of
Community Investment, thus further establishing her record as an inspired and committed
leader in the service of those in the greatest need of support.
In recent
weeks however, Jen’s life has undergone considerable upheaval.
A fever
requiring the hospitalization of the active mother would serve as a precursor
to an ultimate diagnosis of Acute
Myeloid Leukemia (AML). Such a medical diagnosis requires that Jones
Austin receive a bone marrow transplant in the immediate future if her life is
to be extended.
Individuals in need of
a bone marrow transplant essentially require a donor of the same ethnicity,
as a transplant may only occur between parties in possession of matching
genetic tissue. This reality however functions to present a challenge for
most individuals of African descent, as this group is dramatically underrepresented
within national and international bone marrow registries.
In the face of this
reality, Jennifer and others of African ancestry must often rely on the will of
the immediate public if they are to identify a life saving match.
Scheduled bone marrow
drives have emerged throughout the New
York City area and abroad in an effort to not only
save the life of this community activist but also those who require the same
medical procedure as well.
Due to considerable
advances in medicine, the process by which one is determined a match for a
needy recipient is as simple as placing a swab along the inside of the
potential donor’s cheek. Additionally, if an individual is identified as
a match for a patient, a bone marrow transplant generally only requires the donor
give blood.
Jennifer Jones Austin
has dedicated her life to protecting the natural rights of those whom society
has very often marginalized and seemingly cast aside. A
stalwart agent in working to procure greater measures of social and
economic justice for the least of these within our society, Jennifer now
requires the community she has served for almost two decades to assist in
helping her to survive.
When recently
interviewed on a NBC New York Local News broadcast and asked of her
hopes with respect to her unsettling circumstance, Jen true to form,
simply stated she felt encouraged that not only would she find a match, but
through the public’s efforts in assisting in this endeavor, many others in need
of a similar transplant would also receive help.
Indeed, Jen’s life is a
testament to this ethos.
To learn of the
numerous Bone Marrow Drives occurring throughout New York City and abroad go to: www.savejen.com
Follow the link to view
a short video regarding Jennifer Jones Austin’s circumstance.
http://www.webcastr.com/videos/news/jennifer-jones-austin-needs-a-marrow-match.html
Black Star News
columnist Frederick Alexander Meade may be contacted at:
meade1900@yahoo.com
