Students at the University of Nebraska Medical Center will host a bone marrow registration drive on Nov. 13-14. People between the ages of 18 and 44 can attend one of two registration drives at UNMC.
The drives are being held in conjunction with November being Bone Marrow Awareness Month.
On Tuesday, Nov. 13, a drive will be held from noon to 5 p.m. in the west atrium on the first floor of the Durham Outpatient Center, located near 44th & Emile streets. Garage parking is available at the location.
On Wednesday, Nov. 14, from noon to 5 p.m., a drive will be held on the second floor of the Michael F. Sorrell Center for Health Science Education in the student lounge/commons area. The Sorrell Center is located at Emile and 42nd streets. Parking is available in the parking structure at 42nd St. & Dewey Ave (east of Clarkson Tower).
Students will help sign up potential donors on the National Marrow Donor Program’s Be the Match Registry®. Physicians search the registry to find donors who match their patients. If a match occurs, donors will be asked to donate either bone marrow or cells from circulating blood.
Thousands of patients with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, sickle cell and other life-threatening diseases depend on finding a match to save their life. Patients need donors who are a genetic match. Donors with diverse racial or ethnic backgrounds are especially needed.
Kassandra Connell, a medical student and one of the event organizers, had a friend who recently died from leukemia. “This touches home with me. Thousands of people depend on the kindness of others to save their lives,” she said.
The project, ‘Decreasing the Donor Deficit’, is part of UNMC’s Service Learning Academy, which facilitates inter-professional and interdisciplinary public health learning experiences for students in local, regional, national and international communities.
Through world-class research and patient care, UNMC generates breakthroughs that make life better for people throughout Nebraska and beyond. Its education programs train more health professionals than any other institution in the state. Learn more at unmc.edu.
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