With the goal of creating life-saving solutions for blood cancer patients, the “Be the Match” campaign is collaborating with SIU to recruit student bone marrow donors.

From 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday in Solicitation Art Gallery #5 on the Student Center’s first floor, students will have the opportunity to receive additional information regarding the campaign and sign up to be potential donors.

Operated by the National Marrow Donor Program, the program works as a global leader in bone marrow transplants.

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“I’ve heard feedback in the past of students who have gotten the call confirming a match and said it was an awesome experience,” said Katherine Rosenberg, coordinator and two-year member of  SIU’s program.

Rosenberg, a junior from Northbrook, said the campus’ program began after the founder’s family member had cancer — influencing the creation of the on-campus organization to help others with cancer in need of bone marrow transplants.

Since the beginning of the year, the organization has raised more than $50,000 and more than 2,000 people have registered to be donors. The end of the year goal is to raise an additional $50,000 and recruit 13,000 more donors, according to the registry’s website.

Students interested in signing up to become donors must present their driver’s license. Once they are added to the registry, a sample of saliva will be collected so their DNA can be used to determine matches.  

“We just hope that we can inform more people about ‘Be the Match,’ and support and help those with cancer in any way possible,” Rosenberg said.

Campus reporter Diamond Jones can be reached at [email protected], 618-536-3325 or on Twitter @_dimewrites.

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