Football team to hold Be the Match Registry on April 22

Rowan Today, April 15, 2015

GLASSBORO — The Rowan University football team will hold its seventh annual Get In The Game. Save A Life. Be The Match Registry on Wednesday, April 22, from 9 a.m.-4 p.m. in the Pit of the University’s Chamberlain Student Center.

"It is once again a great honor host a bone marrow donor drive on the Rowan University campus," said head coach Jay Accorsi. "We want to thank the Andy Talley Foundation for helping sponsor the event once again."

Last year, the Profs enrolled 340 people in the registry and are looking to top the 500 mark this year.　The football team has registered more than 2,000 individuals since it joined the program in 2009.

"It’s amazing that we have registered over 2,000 people to become a bone marrow donor over the past six years," Accorsi stated. "If our efforts can save one life, then all of this is worth it."

For the thousands of people diagnosed every year with life-threatening blood cancers like leukemia and lymphoma, a cure exists. Over the past 26 years, Be The Match, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), has managed the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world. They work every day to save lives through transplant.

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 NMDP if you are a match.

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

For more information about the Andy Tally Bone Marrow Foundation go to www.talleybonemarrow.org and Be The Match and the National Marrow Donor Program go to www.bethematch.org.