'BET News' and '106 & PARK' Urges Viewers to Help Save the Life of 10-Year-Old LJ Jones Living With a Rare Blood Disease

NEW YORK, Feb. 8, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- On Wednesday, February 9, 2011, 106 & PARK will get a unique visit from LJ Jones, a 10-year-old boy with a rare, progressively fatal blood disease called hypereosinophilic syndrome. This disease causes an excess of white blood cells to attack his organs. Only 50 people in the United States have been diagnosed with the disease and LJ has the distinction of being the only child suffering from this type of Leukemia. Currently 83% of African-Americans who need transplants never find a match. BET wants to help change this statistic. On Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at 6 p.m.* in conjunction with BET NEWS and the Preserve Our Legacy organization, 106 & PARK will make a direct appeal to its viewers to get tested and become donors. Show hosts Terrence and Rocsi will take the bone marrow compatibility tests in an effort to debunk myths surrounding testing.

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The rate of African-American and multi-ethnic individuals signing up to be donors are extremely low. With a mixed ancestry (African American, Latino, and Native American), LJ's case is particularly daunting. He's been through numerous rounds of chemotherapy, but it's going to take a bone marrow transplant to save his life.  

106 & PARK viewers have the potential to make a direct impact on LJ's life, and the lives of many more in need of bone marrow transplants. The aim, alongside Preserve Our Legacy is to get 25,000 new donors on the marrow registry, in the hopes that one of them will be a match for LJ, and save his life. Anyone in good health over the age of 18 is eligible to become a donor. Help us spread the word and possibly save LJ's life; tune in Wednesday, February 9, 2011 at 6 p.m.*

*All times are ET/PT.

About BET Networks

BET Networks, a subsidiary of Viacom Inc. (NYSE: VIA, VIA.B), is the nation's leading provider of quality entertainment, music, news and public affairs television programming for the African-American audience. The primary BET channel reaches more than 90 million households and can be seen in the United States, Canada, the Caribbean, the United Kingdom and sub-Saharan Africa. BET is the dominant African-American consumer brand with a diverse group of business extensions: BET.com, a leading Internet destination for Black entertainment, music, culture, and news; CENTRIC, a 24-hour entertainment network targeting the 25- to 54-year-old African-American audience; BET Digital Networks - BET Gospel and BET Hip Hop, attractive alternatives for cutting-edge entertainment tastes; BET Home Entertainment, a collection of BET-branded offerings for the home environment including DVDs and video-on-demand; BET Event Productions, a full-scale event management and production company with festivals and live events spanning the globe; BET Mobile, which provides ringtones, games and video content for wireless devices; and BET International, which operates BET in the United Kingdom and oversees the extension of BET network programming for global distribution.

SOURCE BET Networks