Attention Boston students and residents!
One of my former roommates and an amazing friend is hosting a bone marrow drive at Northeastern University this November. If you’re interested in attending, check out this flyer or read the following message from her:
Nu Mix, Northeastern University’s multicultural student organization, along with Colleges Against Cancer, Kappa Kappa Gamma, Kappa Sigma, LASO and the NU Rugby Team will host Get Swabbed! Save a Life! – a Bone Marrow Donor Drive on November 8, 2011 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Curry Student Center Ballroom. We will be working with DKMS Americas, an international bone marrow donor center, to hold this drive. We want to get as many people possible involved! The most important way to get involved: come get swabbed or come learn more about registering as a donor.
Our Get Swabbed campaign will help broaden awareness about bone marrow donation and recruit new bone marrow donors. We hope this will lead to more lives being saved! The process is quick and painless! If the donor meets the requirements, there is just a simple cheek swab. DKMS, again, will facilitate this process and will add the list of donors to the national Be The Match Registry, so all patients can benefit.
Nu Mix is especially excited to work with this project because it coincides with our mission as a student group. There is an especially great need for registered donors of multiethnic descent. Race holds a critical role in find a marrow match. Genetic makeup must be similar between the donor and the recipient in order for a match to occur. Finding a marrow match has been compared at times as having the odds of “find a needle in a haystack.” As you can see, the need is there!
Here are a few fast facts:
– Leukemia kills more children each year than any other disease.
– Young people age 18- 24 are the bone marrow donors needed most.
– Only 30% of patients needing a marrow transplant can find a match within their family. The rest rely on complete strangers.
– Minority donors are most needed.
We hope you will be able to support this cause and come out to the Get Swabbed! Save A Life Bone Marrow Donor Drive!
***My wonderful roommate also wrote a piece for a Massachusetts state health blog about my experience as a donor and the need for more registered minority donors. Check it out.
The Bone Marrow Blog 
You’re the bestest, roomie! Boston folks, COME OUT AND SUPPORT A GREAT CAUSE!! 🙂
Donating bone marrow for a patient in need of a transplant is an amazing thing to do. I’m on the register and recently been selected as a potential match.
I’m now waiting for the results of the final blood tests to see if I’m a 100% match for the recipient.