Written by Amanda Hourt
Harding will host a bone marrow donor drive through “Be the Match” during this year’s homecoming to add to the program’s global donor registry.The drive will be held Nov. 4-5 in Heritage 209 and 210 from 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m., and Nov. 6 in the Ganus Athletic Center from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m.Melinda Johnson, office manager for Public Safety, said that “Be the Match” will be taking painless skin tissue samples at the drive to put people in the registry.”Be the Match” is a nonprofit organization that started in 1987 to help patients find bone marrow matches with willing donors, according to www.marrow.org. Johnson said doctors all over the world use the registry to find marrow matches for their patients.Harding hosted its first and only bone marrow drive to date in 2007 with 467 people joining the registry that year, using all the kits “Be the Match” provided Public Safety with.Harding officials asked for 3,000 kits this time and is hoping to use them all, Johnson said. The University of Louisiana at Monroe had 2,890 people join the “Be the Match” registry at a donor drive, which is currently the record, but Harding is hoping to surpass that, she said.When “Be the Match” has a donor drive, they provide kits with cotton swabs to take tissue samples, and the process is completely painless, Johnson said.Senior Dan Peacock has been registered with “Be the Match” since he was 19, and he said he has had the opportunity to donate white blood cells to a 7-year-old girl.”The girl that I gave it to … I never met her,” Peacock said. “The family later found out that it was me, and they sent me a picture.”Peacock said he has been blessed with a sought-after marrow and that he tries to help others whenever he can.”It’s something that I am able to do. I feel like God really wants me to do that,” Peacock said. “That’s why he makes it possible for me to do it.”Peacock said he hopes many students, faculty members, Searcy residents and homecoming visitors will participate in the drive.”I think it’s pertinent to try to get more people onto the registry so that in the future hopefully more people will have an opportunity to have a donation,” Johnson said.
