SoutheastHEALTH to host bone marrow event today

Editor's Note: A previous version of this story incorrectly stated Southeast Missouri State University is hosting this event.

SoutheastHEALTH College of Nursing and Health Sciences is hosting Be The Match from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at the college to raise awareness about the need for bone marrow donors and get more possible donors registered.

Professor Mindy Sinning said there is little presence in this area for bone marrow donation and the university is hoping to change that.

Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com A sign for SoutheastHEALTH is seen Thursday, April 16, 2020, in Cape Girardeau. Jacob Wiegand ~ jwiegand@semissourian.com

Recruiter coordinator at Be The Match, Courtni Lind, said there is always a need for donors.

Lind said from 2016 to 2020, there were 1,094 searching patients in Missouri for more than 12,000 diseases diagnoses for which transplant is a cure. Only 189 people from Missouri donated their marrow.

To qualify as a donor, a person must be between the ages of 18 and 40, be in good health, be willing to be committed to stay on a registry until age 61 and be willing to say yes for the patient in need. All it takes is filling out some paperwork and swab of a person's cheek to determine the marrow type to become a donor for Be The Match.

Lind also said if a possible donor cannot make it to the local event, they can text SEhealth to 261474 to have a kit sent to them.

More information can be found at www.bethematch.org.