Aixa Brea is a vivacious 32-year-old woman who enjoys volunteering at her local church and planning her upcoming September wedding to her fiance John Moynihan, a longtime member of the New York Police Department.

However, Brea, who is Dominican, is in desperate need of a bone marrow transplant to treat her aplastic anemia and save her life. Brea is not alone; she is one of the 35,000 people annually who need a transplant of marrow, the tissue inside bones that produces blood cells.

Recently, Nassau County Legislator Dave Mejias (D-North Massapequa) hosted a blood drive at Hempstead Village Library to replenish the dwindling blood supply, as well as a bone marrow screening program to help find more donors to save Brea and the tens of thousands of people who suffer from leukemia or other blood diseases, such as aplastic anemia.

People of Hispanic or Latino descent are especially encouraged to get screened since Hispanics number only 400,000 of the 5.5 million registered donors in the National Marrow Program.

"Getting screened is easy and only requires a quick finger prick test," said Mejias. "A small price to pay for a very great possibility of saving a life."

Mejias will be hosting a second blood drive and bone marrow screening Sept. 18 at St. Killian's Church in Farmingdale.

For more information on the National Marrow Donor Program call 1-800-747-2820 or visit www.marrow.org. For more information on upcoming blood and bone marrow drives call Mejias's office at 571-6214.