Amit Gupta likes you!

I love this video. And my pal Sumul is the drummer! Go watch...

Fri, 17 Feb 2012 18:48:00 -0800

I love this video. And my pal Sumul is the drummer! Go watch it!

Daaaang, that’s talent!

San Francisco band Wildlife Control made a time-lapse and stop-motion video in one! They awesomely used our tutorials to make it, too!

Wildlife Control’s Time-Lapse/Stop-Motion Video

The Ultimate Guide to Time-Lapse Photography

How to Make Stop-Motion Digital Shorts with Your Digital Camera

CBS Boston came by my hospital room yesterday to do an...

Thu, 09 Feb 2012 07:47:00 -0800

CBS Boston came by my hospital room yesterday to do an interview about my story so far + the urgent need for more donors to register. Here’s the video!

(It’s about 2 and a half minutes.)

Many of you have asked, so here’s what’s going on...

Wed, 18 Jan 2012 14:07:00 -0800

Many of you have asked, so here’s what’s going on with me.

WHAT HAPPENED BEFORE

8/1979: Born. Grew up in CT, built a killer eraser collection, fell in love with computers.
Left college to start a company. Fell hard. Fled to India for 3 months.
Started 2nd company. Learned to be an adult. Fell in love with NYC.
Moved to SF, discovered burritos & some of my fave people on Earth.
9/2011: Got diagnosed with Leukemia!
Cried. Went through 3 cycles of chemo. Hurt. Thought hard about what I want out of life. Grew up a second time.

TODAY

… After over 100 drives organized by friends, family, and strangers, celebrity call-outs, a bazillion reblogs (7000+!), tweets, and Facebook posts, press, fundraising and international drives organized by tireless friends, and a couple painful false starts, I’ve got a 10/10 matched donor!

You all literally helped save my life. (And the lives of many others.)

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT

Tomorrow, I’ll be admitted to Dana Farber in Boston for 4-5 weeks.

First I’ll get a second Hickman line to allow direct access to my heart (for meds and for nutrients if I’m not able to eat). Over the next week, the docs blast my body with a stiff chemo cocktail to try and eradicate all traces of cancer cells. In the process, the immune system I was born with, and my body’s ability to make blood, are destroyed.

Next Friday, I get my donor’s stem cells by IV. I start on immunosuppressants to prevent my body from rejecting them (I’ll be on them for 12-18 months). For these weeks I’ve no immune system, so I’m severely vulnerable to viruses and bacteria. My hospital room and hallway become my world.

Meanwhile, the stem cells make their way to my bone marrow and, with some luck, start producing platelets, red blood cells, and white blood cells. At this point, my blood type changes to the blood type of my donor. And my blood will now have my donor’s DNA, not my own.

This is science fiction stuff. I can hardly believe it’s even possible, and there’s lots of chances for things to go wrong. It’s frightening.

AFTER THE TRANSPLANT

Recovery to a new state of “normal” takes about a year, but there’s a few storm clouds hovering:

My immune system is new, like a baby’s. I’m prone to getting sick.
Just as with any organ transplant, there’s a chance of rejection. Except in this case, it’s my blood that’s the foreign body, and it touches every organ. They call it graft-vs-host-disease and it can cause health issues and organ complications for the rest of my life.
Successful transplant or not, Leukemia can relapse. Stubborn mofo.

Overall, 75% of AML transplant patients survive year one, 50% make it through year five. My odds are a little better since I’m young.

THE GREAT NEWS

I’ve got a long road ahead. But I’ve got a donor & amazing family & friends. A few months ago I didn’t have many options. Today I have a plan.

I am alive. I start tomorrow. Wish me luck!

Thank you.

welovephoneography: Say hello to Photojojo’s newest sidekick:...

Wed, 04 Jan 2012 11:44:06 -0800

welovephoneography:

Say hello to Photojojo’s newest sidekick: We Love Phoneography!

Chase Jarvis said, ”The best camera is the one that’s with you,” and hey, that just may be your camera phone!

Well, this Tumblr is here to inspire phoneographers with…

Weekly reviews of both iPhone & Android photo apps

Your daily dose of phoneography eye candy

The latest camera phone tech news

Swag and/or fame a la phoneography contests!

Follow us if you haven’t yet, and don’t forget to check our first phoneography contest where you can win some brand-spanking new cell lenses to start your new year!

What Happens Now?

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:45:52 -0800

amitguptaneedsyou:

There have been a lot of questions about what’s going on with Amit now that our deadline has passed. (Nov 30th — chosen based on Amit’s doctor’s optimal treatment schedule and the amount of time it takes the NMDP to process and make a swab available to search.)

In short, we wait.

In the meantime, Amit will receive chemotherapy while his doctors work to identify and confirm a potential donor. We hope he’s able to have a transplant early next year.

Although samples collected from here on out will probably not be a part of his search, Amit and everyone else who has been working so hard on this project encourage you to continue to spread the word about the cause.

Please, tell your friends and family about the need for marrow donation. There are hundreds of patients waiting for a transplant.

Every person you add to the registry could be the match that saves a life.

Watch this. OMG you guyz, Aziz and Chris and I are practically...

Mon, 05 Dec 2011 16:42:00 -0800

Watch this. OMG you guyz, Aziz and Chris and I are practically best buds now.

Also, I watched every single episode of Parks & Rec from start to finish last week as thanks. It is literally the best show on televsion.

abangupjob: How you can help Amit. Time is running out! Please...

Fri, 11 Nov 2011 16:33:59 -0800

abangupjob:

How you can help Amit. Time is running out! Please share.

oats: Brown Bones Swab Party in Williamsburg, Brooklyn —-...

Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:24:17 -0700

oats:

Brown Bones Swab Party in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
—- Friday, 4 November 2011

Would you brush your teeth twice if it could save someone’s life?

What if it was this guy? His name is Amit Gupta.

Maybe you’ve never heard of him, but Amit has touched the lives of thousands of people. We’re hoping maybe you can touch his.

He has leukemia. If he can’t find a marrow donor soon, he will die. He is Indian, so his best match will probably come from a South Asian donor.

Come to our free party on Bedford Avenue in Williamsburg, Brooklyn NY this Friday night 4 Nov 2011. Sign some forms, swab your cheek (it’s just like brushing your teeth), and have a drink on us. Plus cupcakes and dumplings.

Time is REALLY short. Amit has until November 30, 2011. Please help us save his life. More details at www.AmitGuptaNeedsYou.com

p.s. Most modern day marrow donations occur via PBSC, a procedure similar to donating blood. All you have to do is sit there. Saving a life has never been so easy.

p.p.s. Amit started a popular website, Photojojo.com. When he sends people products from the site he includes a couple of plastic dinosaurs. Just for fun, because dinosaurs are cool. That’s the kind of guy he is. Selfless, caring, honest. We’d like to keep him around. If you’re South Asian, please visit www.AmitGuptaNeedsYou.com Drop everything if you have to. His life depends on it.

———————————-

Brown Bones Swab Party in Williamsburg, Brooklyn
- Friday, 4 November 2011

6pm - 9pm
Nick’s Tea Room
132 North 5th St #4i
Brooklyn, NY 11211

9pm - 2am
BabyCastle’s Closing Party with Wu Tang Clan
https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=273665372656340
$15 for tickets to the concert, we’ll be swabbing outside

—- backup page at http://nickgray.net/brown-bones/ will have all current info

jayparkinsonmd: Regarding Amit Gupta, my friend who was...

Wed, 02 Nov 2011 08:02:42 -0700

jayparkinsonmd:

Regarding Amit Gupta, my friend who was recently diagnosed with leukemia, I heard some pretty startling news last night. A friend was trying to convince her friend to get swabbed and join the bone marrow donor registry. Her friend was adamantly opposed because she was afraid she could die, or be harmed by the procedure. Well, folks, this is just plain wrong. Donating bone marrow is very similar to donating blood. Just watch this video to see what it’s like:

Girl Prepares To Undergo Marrow Donation

The biggest commitment you’ll make is time. But just think about it, a few minutes of your life to extend someone’s life by decades? That’s priceless.

photo of Amit by Dan Busta

willw: My friend Amit has Acute Leukemia and needs to find a...

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:25:56 -0700

willw:

My friend Amit has Acute Leukemia and needs to find a bone marrow match in the next month. Please get registered today, especially if you’re South Asian. I just took 3 minutes to do it myself.

photojojo: Hey, we know that guy! Replace Face just made this...

Tue, 01 Nov 2011 16:23:32 -0700

photojojo:

Hey, we know that guy! Replace Face just made this awesome faux portrait of our very own Amit (founder of Photojojo!).

Read below for how you can help Amit beat Leukemia.

replaceface:

A few weeks ago Amit Gupta aka SuperAmit on flickr & twitter aka the guy that started Photojojo was diagnosed with Acute Leukaemia.

At the moment he is going through chemo, but once done he will need a bone marrow transplant for the best chance of survival. Unfortunately because of his ancestry it’s tough to find a donor as not many people of South Asian decent are on the transplant register.

If you are of South Asian decent (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepalis, Bhutan, Maldives, or Sri Lankan) you can get a swab kit to see if you are compatible donor. It’s free, painless and takes 2 seconds. If you’re not of South Asian decent or reside outside of the United States, here are some other ways you can help:

    •    Organize a photo booth swabbing party!
    •    Spread the word! Share this link. Join the Facebook group.
    •    If you’re outside the U.S., get in touch here.
    •    Or donate to the National Bone Marrow Registry.

Photo Credit: Dan Busta

http://www.danbusta.com/

azizisbored: BECOME A BONE MARROW DONOR PEOPLE. I posted about...

Tue, 25 Oct 2011 17:12:38 -0700

azizisbored:

BECOME A BONE MARROW DONOR PEOPLE.

I posted about this a few weeks ago and just wanted to update.

Amit Gupta has acute leukemia. He needs a bone marrow donor to survive. Unfortunately, South Asians are really unrepresented and his chance of finding a match are low. So I’m encouraging all of you (in particular brown folks) to join the registry. All you do is swab your cheek with the q-tip looking things (as seen above) and send it in. It takes 3 minutes and it can save someone’s life.

Click here to get a kit and swab your cheek.

Amit needs your kit BEFORE November 30th. Seriously, just click and do this. You get a kit in the mail, swab your cheek with some q-tips, and put it in the mail. Done. Couldn’t be easier. If you know any brown people, harass them to do this. Be racist if you need to. (Ok don’t be racist, but encourage them to do it.)

For more info go to: www.amitguptaneedsyou.com.

You should always do everything celebrities tell you to do. Always.

amitguptaneedsyou: We’re in need of a few volunteers to help in...

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:23:17 -0700

amitguptaneedsyou:

We’re in need of a few volunteers to help in NYC and elsewhere. Can you help?

In NYC, Samar is looking for a few volunteers for a few hours this Sunday to help assemble swab kits. Comment on this Facebook post for more info.

In Boston, Josh Gardner is looking volunteers to help at donor drives he’s organizing, as well as people who have connections to local universities. Here’s his post and he’s asking that people email him at jbgardner@gmail.com.

Jackie’s still looking for volunteers to help contact Indian temples and cultural centers about hosting donor drives. You can be anywhere to help. She needs people to help email, design, and write. Contact her at anyjackie@gmail.com.

Please reblog!

p.s. For the latest on how to help, and where donor drives are happening, etc. check out amitguptaneedsyou.com. (You can also stay up to date by liking the Facebook page or following this Tumblr)

fragmentedportraits: Amit Gupta - October 2009 - California by...

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:17:55 -0700

fragmentedportraits:

Amit Gupta - October 2009 - California by Kevin Meredith aka lomokev

This Amit Gupta aka SuperAmit as he is know on flickr & twitter AKA the guy that started Photojojo.

Amit recently started feeling tired all the time, usually when this happens to a San Francisco start up CEO its just “burn out” but unfortunately this was not the case. It turns out he has Leukemia. At the moment he is going through chemo but once done he will need a bone marrow transplant for the best chance of survival. Unfortunately because of his ancestry its tough to find a donor as not many people of South Asian decent are on the transplant register. If you are off South Asian decent (Indian, Pakistani, Bangladeshi, Nepalis, Bhutan, Maldives, or Sri Lankan) you can get a free mouth swab kit to see if you are compatible donor (if you live in the United States or Puerto Rico).

If your not of South Asian decent or reside outside of the united states you can still help by: re-blogging this tumbler post and genrally spreading the word.

Please help Amit is a super cool guy he works hard and is definitely nice to people so deserves a break.

leyink: Look how easy it is to swab for Amit, hooray! Get the...

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:17:23 -0700

Step 1: Get the kit from marrow.org

Step 2: Swab (don't forget to be silly)!

Step 3: Send!

leyink:

Look how easy it is to swab for Amit, hooray!

Get the kit from marrow.org!

Swab!

Send!

Post your swabs with the tag #iswabbedforamit.

Check out amitguptaneedsyou.com for all the ways you can help.

Take 5 minutes and swab for Amit!

davesingh: GPOYW- swabbing for Amit. Everyone should be doing...

Wed, 19 Oct 2011 10:16:45 -0700

davesingh:

GPOYW- swabbing for Amit.

Everyone should be doing this for GPOYW (esp if your brown)

Photojojo’s Amit Gupta was recently diagnosed with Leukemia. He’ll be one step closer to curing it if he can find a genetic match of South Asian descent.

Here’s the best thing you can do to help right now:

Sign up to get a free test by mail. You rub your cheeks with a cotton swab and mail it back. It’s easy.

Amit’s full message here.

Let’s go fellow brownies!

-Ds

UPDATE: For the latest on how to help Amit, join the registry,...

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 09:04:00 -0700

UPDATE: For the latest on how to help Amit, join the registry, organize a bone marrow drive, and lots more, visit http://amitguptaneedsyou.com/

Two weeks ago I got a call from my doctor, who I’d gone to see the day before because I’d been feeling worn out and was losing weight, and wasn’t sure why.

He was brief: “Amit, you’ve got Acute Leukemia. You need to enter treatment right away.”

I was terrified. I packed a backpack full of clothes, went to the hospital as he’d instructed, and had transfusions through the night to allow me to take a flight home at 7am the next day. I Googled acute leukemia as I lay in my hospital bed, learning that if it hadn’t been caught, I’d have died within weeks.

—

I have a couple more months of chemo to go, then the next step is a bone marrow transplant. As Jay and Tony describe below, minorities are severely underrepresented in the bone marrow pool, and I need help.

A few ways to help:

If you’re South Asian, get a free test by mail. You rub your cheeks with a cotton swab and mail it back. It’s easy.
If you’re in NYC, you can go to this event my friends are putting on.
If you know any South Asians (India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Maldives, or Sri Lanka), please point ‘em to the links above.

*UPDATE 1* Organize a donor drive near you (the most helpful thing you could possibly do!) email 100kcheeks@gmail.com. They’ll send you kits, flyers, tell you what to say, and make the whole process easy cheesy.

*UPDATE 2* Want to get a free test, but not in the US. Here’s a list of international donor registries that are globally searchable.

jayparkinsonmd:

My friend Amit Gupta founded my favorite photography site Photojojo. A few weeks ago, he was diagnosed with leukemia. Amit is one of the nicest, most genuine, most creative people you could ever meet. Prior to founding the awesome Photojojo, he also co-founded Jelly in 2006 in NYC, a coworking community, that’s now spread to 60 cities across the world and helped spark the coworking revolution. It looks like Amit will need a bone marrow transplant quite soon. We can help him with that.

tony b:

Unlike blood transfusions, finding a genetic match for bone marrow that his body will accept is no easy task. The national bone marrow registry has 9.5 million records on file, yet the chances of someone from South Asian descent of finding a match are only 1 in 20,000.

This is where we come in. We’re going to destroy those odds.

How? By finding and registering as many people of South Asian descent as we possibly can.

Tests are easy– a simple swab of the cheek. If you’re a match, the donation involves an outpatient procedure. It’s not fun, but it’s not dangerous either. And doing it could save a life.

We are encouraging anyone of South Asian descent to take a test to see if you’re a match.

You can get a free test by mail, or, if you’re in New York, you can join us Friday, October 14th for a special party to rally support.

We’ll have test kits on hand at the party, as well as music, booze, and maybe even a photo booth. It will, for the first time, combine a House 2.0-style party with a New Work City-style party, and if you’ve ever been to either, you know they are always something special.

Please spread the word and please do everything you can to help Amit beat leukemia. He’s a superstar.

Much thanks to Tony and pals for organizing this event, and EVERYONE who’s been tweeting and reblogging.

Please help get the word out any way you can. My life quite literally depends on it.

weloveadventures: I came home today to find flowers from...

Wed, 21 Sep 2011 19:38:00 -0700

weloveadventures:

I came home today to find flowers from Austin! Eeeek! So thoughtful, and I’m very appreciative! Best thing, he placed them in my Nikon Photojojo lens mug, so they are perfect.

Thank you Austin, I love you very much!

I love you too, Austin. ;-)

jessakalani: Hard at work. Hard work goes easier with your...

Thu, 15 Sep 2011 10:42:06 -0700

jessakalani:

Hard at work.

Hard work goes easier with your thinking cap on.

nevver: Pack your sandwich I refuse to travel until someone...

Tue, 13 Sep 2011 23:43:43 -0700

nevver:

Pack your sandwich

I refuse to travel until someone buys me or makes me this suitcase.