Dickinsonians Urge Community Members to ‘Be The Match’

A simple cheek swab could help you save a life

by Craig Layne

Dickinson, in partnership with the Be The Match Registry and the collegiate Get In The Game campaign, is sponsoring its fourth-annual marrow-donor registry drive on Wednesday, April 13, from noon to 5 p.m. in the Holland Union Building Social Hall. The event is organized by the Dickinson football team and its coaches.

Many prizes will be raffled, including a 55” flat-screen television, along with many other local gifts provided by area merchants. All proceeds go directly to Be The Match to help offset the cost of adding each new potential donor to the Registry.

Individuals ages 18-44 are encouraged to become part of the national Be The Match Registry of potential marrow donors. The registry is searched by doctors to find suitable matches for patients, many of whom are battling cancer and need a marrow transplant. The registration process involves paperwork and a simple cheek swab and takes about 15 minutes. According to the Be The Match Foundation, more than 14,000 patients in the U.S. are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma and sickle cell anemia, for which a marrow transplant may be their best option or only hope for a cure. Seventy percent of those patients will not have a fully matching donor in their family and will rely on the Be the Match Registry to find their life-saving donor.

Dickinson’s Be The Match Registry drives, which began in 2013, have helped to add 684 individuals to the national registry, 23 of whom have been identified as potential matches and three who have gone on to donate marrow or stem cells to individuals battling life-threatening illnesses. The events also have raised more than $24,000 for Be The Match—one of the largest amounts raised by the 65-member network of Get In The Game colleges and universities. As further evidence of Dickinson’s commitment to the marrow donor registry mission, students established a Be The Match On Campus chapter to foster year-long support and awareness.

“Dickinson’s dedication to the Be The Match Registry has clearly marked them as one of the highest performing schools within the Get In The Game program,” said Aimee Haskew, community engagement representative for Be The Match. “Their hard work has given hope not only to the thousands of patients searching for their match, but for the three patients to date who found their matching donor and received the most precious gift of a second chance at life.”

Individuals looking for ways to help are encouraged to join the registry on April 13 and donate financially to help Dickinson meet its fundraising goal. For more information or to make a financial donation, visit Dickinson’s Be The Match fundraising page. Anyone interested in joining the Be The Match Registry but who is unable to attend on April 13 may have a swab kit mailed to them.

Learn more

• "‘You’re really helping the whole family,’ Dickinson College wants you to be the match" – FOX43
• "Dickinson holds fourth annual bone marrow registry drive" – Carlisle Sentinel
• "Help Support Be The Match and Dickinson Football" (Video)
• “Long Shots Come In” 
• “A Driving Force”
• Athletics at Dickinson
• Latest News

Published April 6, 2016