National Marrow Donor Program on Campus August 24-27

Every three minutes, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with a blood cancer. For many patients, a stem cell transplant becomes their only curative option if chemotherapy or radiation are not successful. Because 75% of patients do not find a fully matched donor within their family, they rely on the national registry to find an unrelated match. That's where NMDP comes in.

The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) will be on campus August 24, 25, 26, 27 to talk to students at various welcome back events. NMDP visits college campuses frequently and they are excited to come to ISU's campus. College students are crucial to their mission, and are encouraged to stop by to see them or help spread the word.

NMDP is the FDA-recognized blood stem cell registry here in the nation. They maintain a registry of volunteer donors who are willing to potentially give a patient a second chance at life. Joining the registry is simple - it only requires a cheek swab and basic contact information. Individuals are only contacted if they are identified as a potential match for a patient in need. College students are crucial to the mission because the age guidelines are 18-35 year old, but unfortunately, more people are aging out than being added. They visit college campuses to find future lifesavers, giving students an change to become a hero.