One Swab Swipe Might Save a Life

The University of Cincinnati

African American Cultural and Research Center (AACRC)

is partnering with the “

Be the Match

” Program, which seeks to bring awareness to bone marrow donation. (Be The Match Registry is the new name for the National Marrow Donor Program® Registry.) Bone marrow transplant is a life-saving treatment for people with leukemia, lymphoma and many other diseases.

On April 27 in UC’s Tangeman University Center, Dannie Moore from “Be the Match” will be encouraging people, specifically people of color, to become members of the bone marrow registry. Moore will talk about bone marrow donation and give some insight on what it is like to receive a donation.

“The April 27 bone marrow registry drive is an effort to help everyone, but most specifically a 4-year old girl named Isabella who is of African-American and Hispanic descent and has leukemia,” says Jasmine Buxton, AACRC program manager.

Buxton notes that African Americans are affected at disproportionate rates by diseases that require bone marrow transplants, yet they have a little over 500,000 African Americans in the registry (compared to more than 7 million Caucasians).

In order to be in the registry, it takes only a simple cotton swab of the mouth. People who would like to participate must be generally in good health and between the ages of 18 and 60.

Because of a government grant that was extended, there is no cost to African Americans or Hispanics. Buxton says that the suggested cost for non-African American and Hispanic people to be registered will be $25 or “any type of contribution.” It takes $100 per person to process the entire “kit.”

“I just recently signed up to be on the registry after meeting with Dannie, which prompted us to put on this program,” Buxton says. “It is our hope that we not only add people to the registry, but that we also bring awareness to some diseases that require a bone marrow transplant and what the process is like should one be called to be an actual donor.”

What:

AACRC Bone Marrow Registry Drive

When:

10 a.m. to 4 p.m., April 27

Where:

Tangeman University Center (TUC) 400A

Learn More About Bone Marrow Donation

Be the Match Program

: Formerly the National Bone Marrow Program® Registry

MatchMaker

: Dedicated to recruitment of mixed-race bone marrow donors

Call 513-556-1177 for more information.