Be Part of the April 1 Marrow Donor Drive
Small steps can add up to big results. Just ask long-distance trekker Rusty Bishop of Des Moines, who won a nationwide contest called "Inspiring Soles" honoring athletes who go to extraordinary lengths to inspire and help others.
In honor of Bishop, the shoe manufacturer Crocs will donate $30,000 to the Iowa Marrow Donor Program based at the University of Iowa to help recruit new members to the national registry. Outside magazine features a full page advertisement for the national program in its April issue, which is now available.
Bishop not only donated marrow to a person in need, but also has run numerous footraces of 100 miles and longer to raise cancer and marrow donor awareness.
"The Iowa Marrow Donor Program nominated Bishop for the contest because of his tireless efforts to bring attention to the need for more people to register as donors and be added to the National Marrow Donor Program," said Colleen Chapleau, director of the Iowa Marrow Donor Program at Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the UI.
Several Iowans are waiting to make matches, including a 31-year-old father of toddler twins and a five-year-old girl who has battled leukemia for a year. You can be part of a bone marrow Drive April 1.
"We're so excited for Rusty and greatly appreciate that his efforts will help fund donor drives so that new donors do not have to pay for the necessary tissue typing. People trying to find donors will have increased opportunities," said Chapleau, whose program is the only marrow donor center in Iowa. "We also thank all the supporters in Iowa and elsewhere who voted for Rusty in the 'Inspiring Soles' contest."
The prize money will be used to sponsor marrow drives throughout Iowa. Individuals who would like to be put on a contact list about the events may send an e-mail request to imdp@uiowa.edu.
Bone marrow and cord blood transplants are used to treat people with leukemia, lymphoma and many other diseases. For many patients, a transplant is the best treatment and only hope for a cure.
Patients in need turn first to their families to find a donor. However, 70 percent of those patients will not find a suitable match in their family and so rely on marrow donor programs.
Bishop donated his marrow in 1992 to a youngster through the National Marrow Donor Program. Since this life-saving donation, Bishop has run races worldwide to help raise funds and awareness about marrow donation. Recently, he trekked 150 miles in seven days across the Atacama Desert in northern Chile.
While crossing the desert, Bishop asked friends and family to donate money to cover Iowa Marrow Donor Program costs for the tissue typing of new members. Upon his return, while still nursing the blisters on his feet, he co-sponsored a donor drive in Des Moines to raise even more awareness about the need for marrow donors.
Bishop has also gone on long treks through the Sahara Desert, Death Valley and the Gobi Desert to raise awareness about cancer and raise funds for the Iowa Marrow Donor Program.
Specialists at UI Hospitals and Clinics performed the organization's first marrow transplant in 1980. Since then, more than 1,700 people have received blood and marrow transplants through the UI's Blood and Marrow Transplantation Programs, which are part of Holden Comprehensive Cancer Center at the UI.
Marrow Donor Drive April 1
UI health science colleges are bringing new meaning to the idea of "interdisciplinary collaboration" by holding a marrow donor drive from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 1, for the Iowa Marrow Donor Program. The event will be held in two campus locations:
- Medical Education and Research Facility atrium
- College of Nursing Building ground floor atrium
The colleges of medicine, nursing, pharmacy and public health are banding together to help a colleague in the UI College of Dentistry find a tissue-typed matched donor. The dental college also held a drive in March.
Jay Pronk, 31, visiting professor in oral and maxillofacial surgery, has been diagnosed with leukemia. For thousands of patients like Pronk, a marrow transplant is the best treatment and even only hope for a cure.
Patients first try to find a donor among family members. However, 70 percent of patients, including Pronk, do not find a suitable related match and must rely on marrow donor programs.
Registration includes completion of a consent form and a simple cheek swab. The process takes about 15 minutes total. Donors must be between the ages of 18 and 60, willing to donate to any patient in need and meet the registry's health guidelines. |
