Every year thousands of patients with leukemia, lymphoma and other life-threatening diseases hope to find a marrow donor who can make their transplant possible. Seventy percent of patients do not have a donor in their family and depend on people like you who join the Be The Match Registry to save their lives.
Because tissue types are inherited, patients are most likely to match someone who shares their same race or ethnicity. Asian American patients can have a harder time finding donors than others, so more Asian American donors are especially needed.
“You could be the one to save a life” is the message that will resonate through the Twin Cities over the next several months, as Be The Match® launches a major awareness campaign to educate residents about the need for marrow donors and drive them to join the Be The Match Registry®, volunteer and contribute financially.
For thousands of patients with life-threatening diseases, a marrow transplant from an unrelated donor is their best or only hope for a cure. The Twin Cities were selected as a target location because the community is committed to helping save lives. It is also home to the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), the organization that created Be The Match and operates the Be The Match Registry.
The campaign includes television and radio advertisements, and Twin Cities residents will take part in local events, including donor registry drives where they can join the Be The Match Registry as a potential marrow donor. Representatives of Be The Match will be at several local events to help raise awareness and will be available for interviews.
Upcoming local events include:
• Sunday, April 11, Donor Registry Drive
Noon to 4 p.m.
St. Anthony Fire Department (St. Anthony City Hall building)
3301 Silver Lake Road St. Anthony, MN 55418
Local firefighters coming together to host a drive on behalf of Roy Chelsen, a searching patient and 9/11 firefighter from New York
• Thursday, April 15, Donor Registry Drive
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Concordia University (Faculty Scholarship Center LTC 203)
275 Syndicated St N, St Paul, MN
• Friday, April 16 – Thursday April 17, Plymouth Sports Marrowthon
6 p.m. Friday to Noon Saturday
Plymouth Dome
Plymouth Creek Center, 14800 34th Ave. N.
Soccer Marrowthon fundraising and recruitment event
• Friday, April 16 – Thursday April 17, Golden Valley Sports Marrowthon
6 p.m. Friday to 6 p.m.
Winter Park
9520 Viking Drive, Eden Prairie, MN 55344
Soccer Marrowthon fundraising and recruitment event
• Sunday April 18, Donor Registry Drive
10:30 a.m. to 3 p.m.
Our Lady of Guadalupe
401 Concord Street, St Paul, MN 55107-2499
I am available as a resource for you if you are interested in pursuing a story, and I can help you craft a compelling piece. Some potential angles might include:
• Profiling a local patient whose life was saved with a marrow transplant.
• Talking to marrow donors to share their personal experiences and why they decided to support the cause.
• Speaking with local Be The Match representatives to answer questions about the donation process, the need for more donors to join the registry and other ways to help save lives.
• Encouraging public attendance at marrow registry events (listed above) to speak to participants and capture visuals of community involvement in the cause.
• Becoming a media partner to illustrate your organization’s commitment to help Be The Match save lives.
