IVCC hosts registration drive to battle blood cancers

IVCC’s Red Cross Club and the Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society are sponsoring a stem cell/bone marrow registration drive on campus from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Tuesday, April 29, in the Student Life Space. 

When schedule conflicts prevented IVCC’s Red Cross Club and the American Red Cross from hosting a campus blood drive this spring, a bone marrow registration drive presented a new opportunity for organizers. A drive with a different purpose “gives us an opportunity to still help those who need us in a new way,” said Hannah Larsen, president of the Red Cross Club. 

The last stem cell/bone marrow drive was in 2017. When she was contacted with a request to hold another, Red Cross Club advisor LeeAnn Johnson felt it was a good fit for her club and a way to honor a relative who died recently. 

“The need for stem cell/bone marrow donors is great. In addition, my aunt passed away from Acute Myeloid Leukemia (AML) last May and I felt that a great way to honor her memory was to be a part of a bone marrow/stem cell drive,” Johnson said. A bone marrow donation was an option for her aunt, who died before she could receive one. 

Blood cancer is a disease of the bone marrow or blood-forming system which prevents the blood from fighting infections, transporting oxygen or stopping bleeding. The transfer of healthy stem cells is often the only chance of a cure for leukemia or lymphoma. 

“When you are giving someone a transplant, in the simplest terms, you are giving them a new immune system,” said Olivia Haddox, donor recruitment coordinator for DKMS, IVCC’s partner in the drive. The non-profit organization has conducted 82 stem cell registration drives on campuses across the country this year. 

“So many people have never heard of joining a stem cell donor pool or assume that bone marrow and stem cell donation is painful and difficult. The more drives we can host, the more we can tackle those stigmas head on and save patients in the process,” Haddox said. 

The whole registration process takes about 10 minutes. Potential donors will be checked for health eligibility, fill out a registration form with contact information and will swab the inside of their cheeks to collect a sample to be sent to the registry. They only register once to become part of the donor pool until age 61. 

It is important to create a registry of donors because only about one-third of blood cancer patients can find a match within their family. “This means that most must rely on a stranger on the registry to save their lives, which is terrifying and can make families feel powerless. The more people we register, the more second chances we are giving patients,” Haddox said.