Rowan football team to hold bone marrow registry

CourierPostOnline.com, April 8, 2013

GLASSBORO -- The Rowan University football team will hold its fifth annual Get In The Game. Save A Life. Be The Match Registry on Wednesday, April 24, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in the University's Chamberlain Student Center Pit.

"We are excited to be joining once again with some of the other football programs such as New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Wagner, Maine, Harvard, Temple, Penn, Delaware, Richmond and Villanova," said head coach Jay Accorsi.

The process is simple and will only take 15 minutes. A cheek swab is taken for the test without using any needles or drawing blood. At that point, you are a member of the Be The Match

Registry and will be contacted by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) if you are a match

Last year, the Profs enrolled 255 people in the registry and are looking for another great turnout. The football team has registered a total of 1,235 individuals since it joined the program in 2009.

Rowan's goal for this year is to register at least 400 people.

"Join our football players and coaches in helping to battle against leukemia, lymphoma, and other life-threatening diseases," stated Accorsi. "I am absolutely positive that the Rowan University community will rally once again for such a great cause. Get In The Game And Save A Life!"

Every year thousands of patients in the United States are diagnosed with life-threatening diseases like leukemia or lymphoma. Their best or only hope of a cure is a transplant from an unrelated adult donor or umbilical cord blood unit. The NMDP has facilitated more than 50,000 marrow and cord blood transplants.

For additional information go to the website: www.marrow.org.

The event will be covered live by Rowan Radio 89.7 WGLS-FM and online at wgls.rowan.edu.