Alpha Epsilon Delta is hosting the “Be the Match” bone marrow donation registration from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Thursday in the Union Senate Chambers. “Be the Match” was started in the Laramie area several years ago by UW graduate Gwen VanBaalen when her brother was diagnosed with leukemia.
AED, a pre-professional health honors society, is encouraging students, faculty and community members ages 18-44 to register.
During the registration, participants will fill out a brief medical information form to ensure eligibility, a contact information form and complete a cheek swab. Participants will not be donating bone marrow at the time of registration.
Only about one percent of the registered donors are ever called upon to donate, however one current UW student, Jaryd Unangst, was a recent donor. He registered in October 2010, the last time AED hosted the event at UW, and was matched in March 2011.
If called upon, participants are required to agree to donate to their recipient for a year. Though he was matched in March, Unangst did not actually donate bone marrow until October 2011. Before donating, he underwent blood tests, DNA typing and other tests to ensure that he was a perfect match for the recipient. This is done to ensure that the cells of the donor and the recipient do not reject and attack each other after the transplant, Unangst said.
At the time of actual donation, the process can take up to 6-8 hours to complete. During this time, donors eat, watch movies or do other activities. Although the process sounds long and daunting, Unangst said it is not. He said that everything is paid for including the trips to Denver, hotel rooms, food, and medicine, and they try to make the donating process as non-invasive as possible.
Potential donors may remove themselves from the registry at any time. However, donors will remain on the list until they are 61-years-old.
Unangst is no longer donating. His recipient died a few months ago. Donors are not allowed to meet their recipients until a year after donations begin. Unangst said he would have been able to meet his recipient Oct. 17. He is hoping the family might reach out to him.
AED President Melissa Dozier said that they had 314 people join when they hosted the registration in 2010 and they would like to beat that number this year. She said the registration process is fast, easy and it is for a good cause.
AED members will have a table set up in the Union Breezeway during the days leading up to the registration to answer any questions and provide additional information, Dozier said. She said they want to clear the misconceptions and encourage people to register.
“You have the potential to definitively save a life, and that is something that is pretty rare for somebody our age,” Unangst said.
