Students are being asked to support a bone marrow drive to help save lives.
The drive will be held at East Shaw Hall’s lower lounge on Thursday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
Although the drive is open to both women and men of all races, men and minorities are especially encouraged to donate.
“The best results have been from young males in their 20s,” drive founder Derek Young said. “This age group has had the most perfect matches so far.”
Young, a human resource management freshman, decided to hold the drive when two of his younger cousins, ages 5 1/2 and 4, were diagnosed with the rare blood disease Sanconi’s anemiain December.
The disease is transmitted through a recessive gene and those with the disease require bone marrow transplants. In the past 70 years, only 3,000 people have been diagnosed with Sanconi’s anemia worldwide.
Samples of donated blood will be sent to a lab and placed in a national donor registry. If students are later deemed a match, they could be called upon to donate bone marrow in the future.
In order to be called, donors must be a perfect match for the recipient. Anyone between the ages of 18-60 and in good health can become a donor.
According to the National Marrow Donor program, more donors from African Americans, Native Americans, Asian Americans, Pacific Islanders and Chicanos and Latinos are needed in order to ensure that minority patients have a better chance of finding a match.
Due to the high cost of bone marrow testing, Hubbard Hall and Holmes Hall each donated $500 for the drive, RHA internal vice president and drive co-founder said Jim McEvoy.
A grant from the American Red Cross has also helped reduce the cost of the drive. The cost to have bone marrow tested is usually around $81.
Blood donations are free for all minorities. The first 50 Caucasians can also donate free of charge.
“We’re hoping that something small like this could turn into something big,” said McEvoy, a psychology junior.
“If we can save someone’s life, it’s a pursuit well worth undertaking.”
If the drive is successful, it may be followed by a second bone marrow drive in April.
