Be the Match Marrow Donor Registry Drive

October 2017     No Comments

Each year, more than 20,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with life-threatening illnesses that leave bone marrow transplant as one of the best treatment options and thanks to a registry drive at SUNY Poly on October 24, the chances of finding a perfect match will hopefully increase.

Whether you realize it or not, you hold the power of saving a life in your very hands, or more literally, in your bone marrow.

The bone marrow transplant replaces a patient’s diseased blood-forming cells with healthy cells, but it’s a well-matched donor that is they key to a successful transplant. When looking for a successful match, doctors search for a marrow donor with a human leukocyte antigen (HLA) tissue type that closely matches that of the patient in need. HLA are proteins that act as markers for the immune system to recognize the cells that belong in the body and those that do not.

Because tissue type is inherited, you might expect that a family member would be the best match. However, only 30% of patients will have a relative who matches and is able to donate. The other 70%, or roughly 14,000 people, need volunteers willing to donate their healthy marrow.

Be the Match Registry prides itself on being “the largest and most diverse donor registry in the world,” connecting patients searching for a cure and life-saving bone marrow donors and representatives from Be the Match will be at the Student Center Lobby of SUNY Poly’s Utica campus in the hopes of expanding that registry with even more donors and more chances at saving lives.

The Be the Match Registry Drive will take place Tuesday, October 24 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

The registry event, sponsored by SUNY Poly Nursing Club and the SUNY Poly Health & Wellness Center Program, is completely free and open to anyone between the ages of 18 and 44.