The Health Advocates Club at BYU–Hawaii is sponsoring Be the Match on campus for a donor registry drive. Join the registry for blood stem cell donations and help people being treated for blood cancer.
Be the Match, part of the National Marrow Donor Program, is specifically looking for people between the ages of 18 and 40 who will be available if they come up as a match to join the registry. Those wishing to register must have plans to be in the U.S. for at least the next two years. Participants should be in general good health and willing to donate to any patient that is in need if they come up as a match.
Registration only takes about three to five minutes. Just show up at the drive event, fill out a short digital survey, and swab your cheeks. That's it!
Be the Match
Every three minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer such as leukemia, lymphoma, or aplastic anemia. Only 30% of searching patients have a family member who is their match. Yet, you could be their cure. Be The Match provides access to more than 39 million donors who are ready to save the lives of patients with deadly blood diseases. However, matches are hard to find and today thousands of patients are still searching.
Every person who joins the registry gives patients hope, and new patient searches begin every day. Participants may never be identified as a match for someone, or they might be one of a number of potential matches. A participant may also be the only one on the registry who can save a particular patient's life.
Matches are determined by genetic traits, not blood type. Patients are most likely to match with a donor of a similar ethnic background. But unfortunately, people with diverse ethnic backgrounds are severely underrepresented on the registry. Improving the ethnic diversity of the registry means all patients are more likely to find their cure.
Watch a video to learn more about the mission behind Be the Match.
Donation
If chosen for donation, you will be asked to donate one of two ways. 85% of the time you will be donating PBSC (peripheral blood stem cells), and 15% of the time, the donation is bone marrow. Both procedures are safe, and 100% free (no cost to the donor). Doctors choose the type of donation that allows for the best possible outcome for the person who needs the transplant.
Who Can Register
Be The Match is focused on recruiting people ages 18 to 40 because medical research shows that younger donors are best for patients and provide the greatest chance for transplant success. Because of this, doctors prefer donors in the 18 to 40 age group.
Age guidelines are not meant to discriminate. They are meant to protect the safety of the donor and provide the best possible outcome for the patient. The lower age limit is based on the legal age of consent. A guardian or parent is not able to sign a release or give consent because unrelated bone marrow donation is a voluntary procedure. The upper age limit is based on both donor and patient considerations.
Also, Be the Match is looking for individuals to join the registry who will be available if they come up as a match. International students who only plan to be in the U.S. for less than two years will not be able to join the registry.