TCU's Pre-Health Professions Institute is partnering with Be The Match to host an on-campus and virtual Donor Registry Drive on Tuesday, Nov. 15 from 10 a.m. - 3 p.m. The event will occur between the TCU Library and the Sid Richardson building near the Founders Statue.
The goal of the event is to add donors to the Be The Match donor registry. Registrants can be between the ages of 18-40 years old, must meet health guidelines and should be willing to donate to any patient in need. Be The Match is interested in adding diverse donors to the registry as the odds of finding a match are lower for people of color. Patients are most likely to match a donor of their own ethnic background.
Students will be able to join the registry live at the event. They will scan a QR code with their phone, complete a short registration and health questionnaire and then swab their cheek right there at the event. Every step to join the registry will be handled live at the event. Off-campus students and friends of TCU can even participate and join the registry from home by texting TCUPHPI to 61474 or visiting my.bethematch.org/TCUPHPI. Those that join remotely will have a swab kit mailed to their home, which they can complete and mail back (postage paid) to Be The Match for processing.
Every 3 minutes someone is diagnosed with a blood cancer or disease. For patients diagnosed with leukemia, lymphoma, and other life-threatening diseases, a blood stem cell transplant may be their only hope for a cure. Only 30% of patients have a matching donor in their family. Patients depend on be The Match to find a match to save their life. Be The Match is the world’s most diverse blood stem cell donor registry. Since 1987, Be The Match has been the solution for patients who need to find a matching donor for a blood stem cell transplant. Be The Match has facilitated over 120,000 transplants.
The Pre-Health Professions Institute assists students interested in pursuing a career in a variety of health-related fields including: medicine, physician assistant, dentistry, veterinary medicine, pharmacy, and podiatric medicine. The Be The Match registry drive is an opportunity for our Pre-Health students to volunteer with Be The Match in registering donors at the event. Volunteer hours are an important part of a student’s professional school application.
Sarah Jung, Coordinator for the Pre-Health Professions Institute, will be assisting with the Be the Match donation drive. She shares her experience with donating. “I got involved with Be the Match by joining the registry as a potential donor (and later as a volunteer courier). I was led to join the registry when a friend’s brother was diagnosed with a blood cancer. My friend ultimately ended up matching with his brother and donated to him, but I continue to be on the list as a donor should I ever match with a patient,” Jung says.
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