“Transplant centers that are treating these patients have told us that what they are looking for are the youngest, healthiest donors,” Eric Trosko, Be The Match Michigan representative, said.

Since 1986, Be The Match has been partnering unrelated marrow donors with patients in need of bone marrow transplants.

Trosko said finding a donor can be challenging, so the primary function of the foundation is to increase the potential of healthy bone marrow donors added to the registry so every patient can get a transplant.

Patients who need a bone marrow transplant look for one within the family, which is successful about 30 percent of the time, Trosko said. Those who cannot find a donor in the family go to the registry to find a donor.

Students involved with the Be the Match registry, one of the largest and most diverse listings of potential bone marrow donors, work together to encourage their peers to join the registry and contribute to the campaign.

Danielle Louissia, Be The Match MSU chapter president, said after hearing about the organization from a friend at Oakland University, she decided to join the life-saving mission and start an MSU chapter, which has about 40 student members and has been operating for about two years.

“Since MSU’s campus is so large and diverse, I knew the university would be perfect for it,” she said.

Louissia said the organization aims to keep students aware of how to help save lives.

“The best candidates for donating bone marrow are young college-age students,” Louissia said. “We also look for a lot of diversity when getting students involved so that we have varying nationalities and ethnicities.”

The organization is focusing on adding potential marrow donors between the ages of 18 and 44 because donors in this age range provide the best marrow for blood cancer patients.

Trosko said joining the registry can be intimidating to some but what is most important for students to know is that joining is a simple 10-minute process, and if you are asked to donate, the procedure is a lot easier than it once was.

“(To sign up,) all you do is fill out a registration and consent form and swab the inside of your cheek four times and that’s it,” Trosko said. “The old way we used to harvest the marrow was through a surgical procedure. We would go in through the hip and extract marrow. Now it’s done through a non-surgical blood draw procedure.”

Taylor Young, Be The Match MSU chapter secretary, said, although signing up can make some leery, it it immensely important to do so, and some might not even be contacted to donate.

“For most of the people who need these bone marrow transplants, it’s their last shot because they’ve tried everything else and exhausted every other avenue and resource available to them to find a way to cure themselves,” Young said. “The more people who sign up, the better the chances those people have for finding a match and surviving.”

Louissia said Be The Match MSU is planning on having its next drive in November, which is where potential donors can sign up for the registry.

For more information on Be The Match, visit bethematch.org.