Mercy Health hosting marrow donor drive on Friday | Health

SYCAMORE TOWNSHIP, OH (FOX19) - Mercy Health is partnering with Be the Match, the National Marrow Donor Program, to host a donor drive in The Jewish Hospital’s atrium area on Friday, November 2 from 10:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m. The event is free and open to the public.

With just a simple swab of the cheek, men and women can join the registry while registering for a raffle, spinning a game wheel for prizes and finding out more about how marrow donation can save and extend the lives of people, including Cincinnati’s Erika Turner, who will be at the event to register donors. Erika had her life-saving transplant at The Blood and Marrow Transplant Center at The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health. She recently met her donor in person for the first time live on Good Morning America, where they shared their story with host Robin Roberts, who recently underwent her own marrow transplant.

Nurses from The Blood and Marrow Transplant Center are using funds from the 2009-2011 Southern Ohio Soccer Marrowthon to cover all the costs of adding donors to the registry. These nurses will partner with HR Organizational Leadership Students from the University of Cincinnati and Erika Turner to staff the donor drive booth at The Jewish Hospital. The hope and the goal is to add many more people to the registry, knowing that each registrant has the potential to save lives that might otherwise be lost to cancer.

“Thousands of patients with blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma, depend on Be the Match’s national marrow donor registry to find a donor who could potentially save their life,” said Audrey Maschino, Clinical Research Nurse at The Jewish Hospital – Mercy Health. “Our hope is that by raising awareness about the importance and need for donors, we will encourage many more people to join the registry.”

Be the Match especially needs individuals between the ages of 18-44 to sign-up for the registry. Donors within this age span provide cells and bone marrow that tend to have higher survival rates in recipients.

The Jewish Hospital is located at 4777 East Galbraith Road in Sycamore Township, at the intersection of Kenwood Road. All are welcome to stop by the hospital and participate in the festivities.