Get Healthy Now is bringing the Be the Match Registry to campus and asking students, faculty and staff to consider joining to raise awareness of the national need for marrow donors to demonstrate UofL’s commitment to the community and to recognize the excellence of UofL health care providers who treat patients needing marrow transplants, said Stephanie Weldy, Get Healthy Now program coordinator.
According to Be the Match Foundation, 10,000 patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases need a marrow or cord blood transplant each year. Of those, 70 percent do not have a matching donor in their families.
The registry especially needs young and diverse members, Weldy said.
Students, faculty and staff between the ages of 18 and 60 are eligible to register at the event, 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. in the lower lobby of the Swain Student Activities Center (across from the bookstore). Eligible donors will be free of a personal history of certain types of cancer, insulin-dependent diabetes or heart disease. A Be the Match Coordinator will be on site to evaluate each person’s eligibility.
Joining the registry includes self-swabbing the inside of cheeks for DNA; providing detailed medical history, including medications; and giving detailed personal information such as name, home address, phone number, birth date, etc.
“This painless and quick process provides the opportunity for our campus to connect to a cause that supports patients who are in need of a marrow transplant, and you could be their perfect match,” Weldy said.
To participate, people can RSVP to the event via Facebook. No appointment is necessary. Walk-ins are welcome, too.
Marrow transplants treat such diseases as leukemia, sickle-cell, inherited immune system disorders and other blood disorders.