Hurricanes Football Hosts Second Annual Marrow Donor Drive

April 6, 2012

CORAL GABLES, Fla.—Miami Head Football Coach Al Golden and the Hurricanes football team joins the Be the Match® Foundation to host the second annual UM Marrow Donor Drive on Wed., April 11 from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the WellCanes Farmer’s Market along “The Green” on the Coral Gables campus.

Coach Golden and the Canes ask those willing to give up 15 minutes of their day to help save a life stop by The Green.  Registration is simple and involves completing a health history form and giving a swab of cheek cells.Coaches, players and volunteers will be on site to assist participants throughout the day.

To join the registry, potential donors must be between 18 and 60 years old, meet health guidelines and be willing to donate to any patient in need. Donors with diverse racial or ethnic backgrounds are especially needed.

For thousands of patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases, a marrow transplant is their best or only hope for a cure. Most do not have a matching donor within their families, so they depend on the Be The Match Registry to find someone who can give them a second chance at life.

For more information, join the event on Facebook by clicking here.

About Be The Match:

Be The Match is a movement that engages a growing community of people inspired to help patients who need a marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant from an unrelated donor. The National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), a leader in the field of marrow and cord blood transplantation, created Be The Match to provide opportunities for the public to become involved in saving the lives of people with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases. Volunteers can join the Be The Match Registry, the world’s largest and most diverse listing of potential marrow donors and donated cord blood units, as well as contribute financially to Be The Match Foundation or volunteer their time. For more information, visit BeTheMatch.org or call (800) MARROW-2.