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Bone Marrow Registry Event: GVSU Oct. 24th

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Michigan Blood

The community will have a chance to help save lives this weekend.  A bone marrow registration drive hosted in part by Michigan Blood is being held during  GVSU’s homecoming.

“One of our tag lines is that the cure for blood cancer is in the hands of ordinary people and its true.”

Ryan Jacques is the marrow work up specialist with Michigan Blood and “Be the Match.”  She says it’s important for the community to gain a better understanding about becoming a potential bone marrow donor.  She says roughly 12-thousand patients are diagnosed with a cancer like leukemia or lymphoma each year and will need a transplant as their last available treatment option.

“This is often time the available treatment option when chemo doesn’t work, the bone marrow is last resort and it can cure blood cancer or other blood disorders.”

The “BE THE MATCH” registry recruits potential bone marrow donors for people around the world. Then they assist those who match through the donation process.   Jacques says a suitable match is found outside of a patient’s family about 70-percent of the time.

“I think a lot of people are under impression they can get it from a sibling, but only 30 percent, find that match in their families.”

Jacques also says the registration process is easy, but potential donors have to be between 18 and 44 years of age; she adds that’s why a college campus is the perfect location. The donor registration drive will take place on GVSU’s Allendale Campus from 9 until noon Saturday.  It will be held at the outdoor basketball courts next to the Kelly Family Sports Center.

Jennifer is an award winning broadcast news journalist with more than two decades of professional television news experience including the nation's fifth largest news market. She's worked as both news reporter and news anchor for television and radio in markets from Grand Rapids and Kalamazoo all the way to San Francisco, California.