Every four minutes someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with a blood cancer such as leukemia and lymphoma, and you could be their cure. Be The Match, in partnership with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), has managed the largest marrow registry in the world for the past 30 years. They work every day to save lives through transplant and pave the way in development of new cellular therapies for advancing the transplant process.
Tetra, a THON special interest organization, and the Student Nursing Association of Penn State (SNAP) are teaming up with Be The Match this week to provide information to students on campus in hopes of spreading awareness and registering individuals who are willing to participate.
The event will be held from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Nov. 13-14 in Heritage Hall in the HUB-Robeson Center. Members of the Penn State football team will also be making an appearance at the event. For more information on the event you can check out the official event page.
There tend to be many misconceptions about the registration and donating process itself, so the event is focused on taking the time to educate people on what Be The Match exactly is while also helping those who would like to register through the process as well. Registering to be a bone marrow donor is a very simple process — only requiring you to fill out a basic information page and using a Q-tip to swab your cheeks.
Be the Match Community Engagement Mid-Atlantic Representative Aimee Haskew says “about 70 percent of patients do not have a match that is eligible to donate within their family, and that is where Be the Match steps in — they can then turn to the registry provided by Be the Match to find someone who can donate.” Haskew also mentions that the non-profit has been working on Penn State’s campus for many years and has seen great success because of THON.
Take a small part of your day and come out to support a good cause. You could be the match. You could save a life.
*If you cannot come to the event, you can still register online.
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