Football Hosts "Get in the Game. Save a Life" Donor Registry Drive on April 18th

Head coach Pete Rossomando and the Central Connecticut football program will host a Get in the Game. Save a Life. donor registry drive on April 18 on the CCSU campus.  The Blue Devils will recruit new potential marrow donors for the third straight year.

The program is part of Be The Match efforts to sign up new registry members and the Blue Devils will join more than 50 programs from schools across the country that will be encouraging members of the university communities to potentially save lives.

The Blue Devils encourage students, staff, faculty and members of the community to join the registry on April 18 from 11:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. in the Bellin Gallery in the Student Center on the campus of Central Connecticut University. Last year, the CCSU football team surpassed its goal of signing up 200 new registrants.  

Every three minutes someone is diagnosed with a life-threatening blood cancer. More than 14,000 patients don't have a matching marrow donor within their family. They depend on Be The Match to help find someone to give them hope for a cure.

To sign up as a committed registry member, individuals need to meet age and health guidelines and be willing to donate to any patient in need. Registration involves completing a health history form and giving a swab of cheek cells. Those of diverse racial or ethnic heritage are especially needed. Donors and patients who share the same ancestry are mostly likely to match.

CCSU football has joined the efforts of Villanova football head coach Andy Talley to raise awareness of the need for marrow donors and helping patients receive life-saving transplants. Talley and others have helped recruit thousands of potential donors to the registry by encouraging their football players, other students and their peers on other teams to sign up, along with friends, family and teachers. Last year alone, close to 10,000 people joined the Be The Match Registry through Get in the Game. Save A Life. donor registry drives.  

About Be The Match
For people with life-threatening blood cancers—like leukemia and lymphoma—or other diseases, a cure exists. Be The Match connects patients with their donor match for a life-saving marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. People can contribute to the cure as a member of the Be The Match Registry^®, financial contributor or volunteer. Be The Match provides patients and their families one-on-one support, education, and guidance before, during and after transplant. 

Be The Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program^® (NMDP), a nonprofit organization that matches patients with donors, educates health care professionals and conducts research so more lives can be saved. To learn more about the cure, visit BeTheMatch.org or call 1 (800) MARROW-2.