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MCC Daily Tribune

Be the Match Bone Marrow Drive

On February 13, 2018, MCC's H.I.T Club (Health Information Technology Club) will be holding a Be The Match bone marrow registry drive from 10am - 2pm in the Atrium! Donations to this drive go towards the Be The Match organization that benefits those affected by an unexpected diagnosis of blood cancer, such as leukemia and lymphoma.

Every 3 minutes someone is diagnosed with blood cancer. "Many of these patients need a marrow transplant to survive, but don't have a matching marrow donor in their family. They turn to the Be The Match Registry to find a donor who can save their life."

When patients are diagnosed with these life-threatening diseases, it is often difficult to find a match, especially those outside of their family, and 70% of patients needing a marrow transplant do not have a fully matched donor in their family.

With individuals being diagnosed at a rate of every 3 minutes, there is simply not enough donations to keep up with the number of patients needing help. By bringing this opportunity to donate to Monroe Community College, our community can help someone's life at no cost to them.

Minority populations are extremely underrepresented in blood donations making it hard for patients to find a match. "Though race has no genetic basis, a potential donor's genes (HLAs) must correlate with the patient's ethnic background." Adding more members with diverse ethnic backgrounds to the registry increases the variety of tissue types available, helping more patients find the match they need. With Monroe's diverse community, this drive has the potential to help increase registered individuals with diverse backgrounds and minorities in the Be The Match system.

During the event, HIT Club will be fundraising with a Create-A-Card table for Valentine's day, along with flower, candy, and balloon sales. All monies raised go towards this great cause!

Joining the registry is easy, free and takes just a few minutes - get your cheeks swabbed (no needles!) and fill out a short questionnaire. In just five minutes you can become a hero and potentially help save a life!

*Some information provided from Be The Match, and SUNY Polytechnic Institute.

Maryjo Toepfer
Health Professions - Health Information Technology Club
02/12/2018