SELLERSBURG — Ivy Tech Community College will host a Be the Match bone marrow registry drive later this month. The event will be held on April 18, 2013 from 10 a.m. until 6:30 p.m. and will take place in the lobby of Pfau Hall on the Sellersburg campus.
During the event potential donors will participate in a cheek swab to collect cells needed in order to determine a match. The event is open to the entire community.
“We hope to not only raise awareness about the need for bone marrow donors, but perhaps even provide matches for patients on the waiting list,” commented Kristy Lewis, Assistant Professor for the School of Health Sciences at Ivy Tech.
Every year, more than 10,000 patients in the United States are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases such as leukemia or lymphoma, and their best or only hope of a cure is a transplant from an unrelated adult donor or cord blood unit. During the event information will be available about the requirements a donor must meet in order to eligible, but those planning to attend for a screening during the drive should be between the ages of 18 and 44 and currently have a healthy body mass index (BMI). More information about donor requirements can be found online at www.bethematch.org
For more information about the Be a Match bone marrow registry
