Hotelier Organizes Bone Marrow Drive

When John Notter’s 29-year-old son-in-law was diagnosed with a rare form of leukemia and told that he needed a bone marrow transplant to survive, the Westlake Village Inn owner decided to turn to the community he helped create for help.

As chairman of the board of the American Hawaiian Steamship Co., Notter was one of the builders of Westlake Lake. He has lived in the area for 30 years and has a home on the artificial lake’s island.

To save the life of son-in-law John Altman, Notter is temporarily transforming his genteel lakeside hotel into a blood clinic Saturday. He hopes to register 1,000 donors to the National Marrow Donor Program.

“Even if we don’t find someone to match John, we can add to the national register,” Notter said.

Altman was diagnosed in March and told he has a year or two to live unless he can find a bone marrow match. He has a 1 in 10,000 chance of finding a donor. Now Notter is plotting to lower those odds by asking friends and community members to register.

“You’ve got to be wishful thinking, right?” Notter said. “You’ve got to be optimistic. It’s 1 in 10,000, so if we get 1,000 here, we’ll lower those chances.”

Home builder Altman lives in Connecticut with his wife and daughter, but is flying out for the event. A recent drive in Connecticut drew 400 potential donors.

Notter is paying the costs of the tests, so anyone can be tested and added to the register for free. Donors must be between 18 and 60 and in good health.

The drive is from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the inn, 32001 Agoura Road, Westlake Village. For more information, call Lynnette Chandler at (805) 987-6935.