University of Delaware Athletics
Football to Host Be the Match Bone Marrow Drive
5/10/2022 3:45:00 PM | Football
NEWARK, Del. – The University of Delaware football team will partner with Be the Match on Wednesday, May 11 to sponsor a "Get In The Game, Save A Life" (GITG) bone marrow registry drive. From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Blue Hens will be at the Perkins Student Center running stations to register UD students, faculty, staff and members of the community to the National Marrow Donor Program Be The Match registry.
Registration is simple and involves completing a health history form and giving a swab of cheek cells. A person must be between the ages of 18 and 44, meet the health guidelines and be willing to donate to any patient in need. Donors with diverse racial or ethnic backgrounds are especially critical.
"Supporting Be the Match through their bone marrow drive is extremely important," said Delaware Assistant Coach Andrew Pierce. "It's an opportunity to have an impact on someone else's life in a way that most people would have never thought of."
This is not the first time that the Blue Hens have hosted a bone marrow registry drive, as the football program has been associated with the Be the Match program since 2009. To date, the University of Delaware has added nearly 3,000 members to the registry. Every year, thousands of people are diagnosed with blood-related illnesses and they rely on the National Bone Marrow Registry to match them with donors to save their lives.
About Be The Match
The Be The Match registry has been fostered by former Villanova Head Coach Andy Talley, who has dedicated more than 20 years to raising awareness about the need for marrow donors. He has recruited thousands of members to the registry by encouraging his football team and their friends to join. Thousands of patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases depend on the Be The Match registry to find a match and Talley's aim is to increase the likelihood that all patients receive the life-saving transplants they need.
For the latest on the Delaware football program, follow the Blue Hens on Twitter @DelawareFB and Instagram @DelawareFootball, and like "Delaware Football" on Facebook. Follow Ryan Carty on Twitter @RyanCarty10.
