News Detail
SUNY Potsdam hosting first-ever bone marrow registry drive to save lives
10.08.09
A few minutes of your time and a swab of your cheek will put you on the National Bone Marrow Donor Program’s Be The Match Registry, which can save lives all around the country.
SUNY Potsdam is holding its first-ever Bone Marrow Registry Drive in conjunction with the National Bone Marrow Donor Program on Wednesday, Oct. 21, from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Barrington Student Union Fireside Lounge.
SUNY Potsdam senior biology major Beth Oaks of Charlton and the members of the College’s Pre-Health Club are coordinating the event.
“I wanted to do this bone marrow registry drive because as a college student I can sometimes feel disconnected from the world and unable to contribute,” Oakes said. “Becoming a potential bone marrow donor is a way to empower students and give them a chance to save a life.”
Those interested in being listed on the registry will fill out paperwork and have their cheek swabbed by representatives from the National Bone Marrow Donor Program. The whole process will take less than 10 minutes.
Potential donors must be between the ages of 18 and 60 who meet health guidelines and are willing to donate to any patient in need.
Once people are on the registry, they will be contacted if they are found to be a match for someone in need of a bone marrow transplant. Donating is always voluntary.
Thousands of patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases depend on the program’s Be The Match Registry to find a match to save their lives.
Patients need donors who are a genetic match. Even with a registry of millions, many patients cannot find a match. Donors with diverse racial or ethnic backgrounds are especially needed.
Those who are a match can be asked to donate in one of two ways. Peripheral blood cell donation involves removing a donor’s blood through a sterile needle in one arm. The blood is passed through a machine that separates out the cells used in transplants. The remaining blood is returned through the other arm.
The other way is to withdraw liquid marrow from the back of the donor's pelvic bones using special, hollow needles. General or regional anesthesia is always used for this procedure, so donors feel no needle injections and no pain during marrow donation. Most donors feel some pain in their lower back for a few days afterwards.
Information sessions about donation will take place Thursday, Oct. 15, from 5:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Tuesday, Oct. 20, from 6 p.m. to 7 p.m., both in the Fireside Lounge.
Both the information sessions and the registry sign up are free and open to the public.
For more information, please visit www.marrow.org/