Be The Match Marrow Registry Drive – December 14, 2015
O’Fallon, Illinois – Mayor Gary L. Graham is pleased to announce that a Be The Match Marrow Registry Drive will be held at the O’Fallon Fire Station #4, 1215 Taylor Road, on Monday, December 14, 2015 from 3 – 7 p.m.
“Thousands of patients with leukemia, lymphoma, severe sickle cell and other blood cancers depend on the Be The Match Registry to find a donor who can give them a chance for a cure,” said Mayor Graham. “It only takes about 15 minutes and a cheek swab sample to join the registry.”
If you join in person at the donor registry drive, Be The Match representatives will explain how to use a swab kit to give a swab of cheek cells. Be the Match will tissue type the sample and enter the results into the registry.
The first step to become a bone marrow donor is to join the Be The Match Registry. Doctors around the world search the registry to find matches for their patients. If a doctor selects you as a match for a patient, you may be asked to donate bone marrow or cells from circulating blood (called PBSC donation).
Bone marrow transplant is a life-saving treatment for people with blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, sickle cell and other life-threatening diseases. A donor’s healthy blood-forming cells are given directly into a patient’s bloodstream, where they can begin to function and multiply. For a patient’s body to accept these healthy cells, they need a donor who is a close match.
If you are unable to attend the registry drive, you can join online at https://join.bethematch.org/. When prompted, use the promo code: TeamElsa.
For more information on the Be The Match Marrow Registry Drive, please email [email protected].
On October 29, 2015, Elsa Wiemerslage, a Kindergarten student and daughter to Kevin Wiemerslage of the O’Fallon EMS Department, was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML), a rare form of pediatric cancer. She is currently undergoing chemotherapy and must undergo a bone marrow transplant.
In order to help Elsa’s family celebrate the holiday season, Paramedics and EMT’s of the O’Fallon EMS Department are hosting a toy drive for Elsa. New, unwrapped gifts can be dropped off at the O’Fallon Public Safety Facility, 285 N. Seven Hills Road, anytime between 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. from now until December 18th or at the Be The Match Marrow Registry Drive at the O’Fallon Fire Station #4 on December 14th from 3 – 7 p.m.
For more information about the toy drive, please go to https://www.facebook.com/christmasforelsa/.
