It’s been a tradition for the past few years for Be The Match to visit with the graduating senior class at Jesuit. While they couldn’t do their usual presentation due to current circumstances, a large video call online was able to get the same message across to the seniors. Ursuline seniors also joined the call as everyone gathered to hear Be The Match representatives and Mr. Garrison speak.
The Mission
Be The Match is an organization that works to gather donors of both blood stem cells and bone marrow in order to help patients who require this life-saving transfers. Often, matches are very difficult to find, which is why the organization needs so many potential donors in the registry in hopes of there being matches.
The Message
Mr. Garrison spoke about his own story, as he was matched just a few years ago. He described how he joined the registry very suddenly, as Father Postell told him he should register on one of their yearly visits. The odds for his particular match were around 1 in 20,000, so it was very much a fluke that they matched after Mr. Garrison registered that one fateful day. He went to Baylor where he had bloodwork and described the process as very much like giving blood except stem cells where needed, not red blood cells. These cells were then sent to Germany shortly after for an immediate transplant and treatment. There are many more stories like this out there, and the best way for Be The Match to be able to help is for their registry to increase in size, allowing them to have more potentially life-saving matches.
What YOU can DO
It’s fairly easy to sign up if you’re interested in going to the Be The Match website, where you can learn if you’re eligible to sign up and if it’s something you’d like to do. The likelihood of you being matched is very low. By signing up, you might be a match as around 50% of donors will not follow through and let their recipients down. If you aren’t certain you’ll be able to follow through on your end, perhaps more reflection is necessary before joining the registry.
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