GC to Host Be the Match Marrow Drive

Published: April 13, 2021

Thousands of patients depend on the Be the Match Registry to find a donor who can give them a second chance at life. You have the opportunity to help save a life at the Be the Match Marrow Drive on Monday, May 9 from 10:30am - 6:30pm in the Krober Room on Greenville College campus.

The Marrow Drive is the second of its kind at Greenville College and comes after 2008 alumni Randy Bister's diagnosis of Stage Four Leukemia in March of this year. "This is a great time for the Greenville community to come together for one of our alumni," explained GC Director of World Outreach and Missions and organizer of the drive Erin O'Hara. "This is such an easy way to save a life and it will be great to see the community jump on board for Randy and others just like him."

Bone marrow transplant is a life-saving treatment for people with leukemia, lymphoma and many other diseases. First, patients undergo chemotherapy and sometimes radiation to destroy their diseased marrow. Then a donor's healthy blood-forming cells are given directly into the patient's bloodstream, where they can begin to function and multiply. For a patient's body to accept these healthy cells, the patient needs a donor who is a close match. Seventy percent of patients do not have a donor in their family and depend on the Be the Match Registry to find an unrelated bone marrow donor.

Donor registrants must be between the ages of 18 and 60, be willing to donate to any patient in need, and meet the Be the Match health guidelines.

For more information about the Greenville College drive please contact Erin O'Hara at 618.664.7129 or erin.o'hara@greenville.edu. For more information about Be the Match Registry call 314.348.5650 or email dmosley@nmdp.org.