University News

WIU Be the Match Campus Chapter Continues To Build National Donor Registry

March 6, 2015

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MACOMB, IL -- On Saturday, March 7, Western Illinois University's Be the Match on Campus chapter will join forces with the Dance Marathon to increase the number of donors for the National Bone Marrow Registry.

The Dance Marathon, which will be held from noon to midnight March 7 in the University Union Grand Ballroom, raises money and awareness for Children's Miracle Network Hospitals of Greater St. Louis and SSM Cardinal Glennon Children's Medical Center. Western's Be the Match chapter will hold its first donor drive of the Spring 2015 semester from 2-5 p.m. at the event.

To become a part of the national bone marrow registry, an individual must register and then complete a simple test in which the inside of the mouth is swabbed and the DNA sample is entered into a registry. The drive is open to all campus and surrounding community members.

Be The Match Registry/Be the Match on Campus is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating an opportunity for all patients to receive the marrow transplant they need, when they need it. It is the largest and most diverse donor registry in the world.

According to WIU students Grant Severs and Ashley Whiteside, co-founders of WIU's Be the Match chapter, a patient's likelihood of finding a matching donor on the Be The Match Registry is estimated to range from 66-93 percent.

Next month, the WIU campus chapter will partner with the Relay for Life event and will hold a drive during the event April 10 on the WIU campus. Also next month, the chapter will again partner with Leatherneck Football as part of the national "Get in the Game. Save a Life" initiative sponsored by the Be the Match bone marrow donor registry program. The "Get in the Game" project partners with football teams across the nation to increase the number of registered donors in the NMDP. Last year's "Get in the Game" drive brought in over 300 new donors and raised more than $800 for the cause.

Since its creation in October 2013, the WIU Be the Match on Campus chapter has signed up more than 560 potential donors and raised more than $5,200.

Individuals interested in joining WIU's chapter or volunteering should contact Whiteside or Severs at A-Whiteside@wiu.edu or GS-Severs@wiu.edu.

For more information, visit bethematch.org.





Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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