DETROIT (WWJ) – A Detroit hospital is asking for the public’s help in saving children’s lives, and it could only take a few minutes.
Children’s Hospital of Michigan is holding a bone marrow drive Tuesday, partnering with Gift of Life and Be the Match, two organizations that help save countless lives.
Bone marrow and stem cell donations are often the only cure for leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell and other deadly diseases, hospital officials say. And many of those patients are children waiting for a match.
Matches are determined by genetic traits, not blood type and can be difficult to find, as only 30% of patients have matches within their own families.
Tuesday’s event is looking to give those patients a chance at survival. Anyone 18-40 years old can donate and the process only takes about 5-10 minutes to see if you’re eligible to donate.
The hospital says all it takes is a cheek swab and registrants need a cell phone and active ID to sign up.
Anyone interested in finding out if they’re eligible to be a bone marrow donor can show up to the main lobby of Children’s Hospital – at 3901 Beaubien in Midtown Detroit – between 11:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m.
More information on bone marrow donation and stories of success can be found on the Be the Match and Gift of Life websites.
Related
