Mount Saint Mary College will host a Gift of Life Marrow Registry donor recruitment event in Aquinas Hall on campus on Tuesday, October 15 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.
The public, particularly people aged 18 to 35 who are in good health (the ideal demographic for successful transplants), are especially urged to attend.
The Mount is located at 330 Powell Ave., Newburgh, N.Y. The event is being cosponsored by the college’s Student Health and Wellness Center and the Office of Student Engagement.
To join the Gift of Life registry, donors simply swab the inside of their cheeks and complete a registration questionnaire.
Those unable to attend in-person can request a swab kit to be delivered at home by visiting www.giftoflife.org
An earlier campaign on the Mount campus yielded several donor matches. One was for a 55-year-old man battling Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Another was for a 41-year-old woman battling Acute Myelogenous Leukemia. Yet another was for a 68-year-old man battling Myelodysplastic Disorder.
“If you’re healthy and of the right age, please consider joining the registry to help save [a] patient battling blood cancer,” said Gift of Life volunteer, Sherrill Lazarus. “You may be their miracle match.”
Since it was established in 1991, the Gift of Life Marrow Registry has grown to more than 410,000 individuals who have volunteered to donate blood stem cells or bone marrow to save a life. To date, Gift of Life has facilitated nearly 27,000 matches for those with leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell, and nearly 100 other diseases, resulting in more than 4,600 transplants.