Join Sun Devils' Be The Match Marrow Drive
Click here for more information on Sun Devil Family Charities
Click here for more information on Be The Match
Sun Devil Family Charities is hosting a recruitment drive on Nov. 26 to raise awareness about the need for marrow donors and hopefully find a suitable match for the many families in need of a donor. Arizona State students, faculty and alumni can join the "Be The Match Registry," held between 12 p.m. and 6 p.m. at 6th Street Park (6th and Myrtle), east of Tempe City Hall, with a simple cheek swab.
Donors with diverse racial or ethnic backgrounds are encouraged to come out because patients in need are often most likely to match someone of their own race and ethnicity.
Finding suitable marrow donors is an important process for patients with life-threatening diseases such as leukemia and lymphoma. Marrow transplants are often the only cure for these life-threatening diseases and the more donors there are in the registry, the higher the likelihood that matches are found.
SDFC offers multiple donation options, including:
• Become a Sun Devil Family Charities fan on facebook
• Support our mission with a monetary donation by sending a check or money order made payable to "SDFC" and mailed to:
Sun Devil Family Charities
2525 e Camelback Road, Suite 570
Phoenix, Arizona 85016
• Donation of items for auction or raffle at fundraising events. For more information, please contact us at donate@sundevilfamily.org.
• Provide in-kind services, please contact us at donate@sundevilfamily.org.
• Volunteer your time to help fundraise or run events, please contact us at volunteer@sundevilfamily.org.
The Kendrick Bates Story
Kendrick Bates goes through his day like most of us: work, play, family, except for one incredible difference. He carries with him the knowledge of something amazing: he may be a life-saver.
Being part of Sun Devil Family Charity, Bates learned about being a morrow donor and how he could make a difference in someone's life. It was during the 2009 Sun Devils "Be The Match" Marrow Drive!" that Bates joined the marrow donor program. Less than a year after becoming a part of the bone marrow registry, he was identified as the perfect bone marrow match for a 20-year-old female with leukemia.
"With my mother currently fighting cancer and all the folks that's helped our family through this difficult time," Bates says, "I'm more than happy to help a family in need and hopefully save a life".
Once Bates saw how simple and easy the procedure was, he didn't hesitate to join up. A simple information form and mouth swab were all that was required for registration. According to Bates, it was fast, easy and "took less than a minute." For Bates, it's simple: The bone marrow we carry within our bodies could actually save someone else's life.
"If we are the cure, and the only thing we have to do is register," Bates says, "then being a donor is no-brainer."
The thought of helping save a life is an idea that doesn't get old and Bates says he thinks about it "all the time." Already enthusiastic about the work SDFC does, he's emphatic when he talks about the simple process of becoming a bone marrow donor and the honor he feels about what he can offer.
As he goes through the process leading up to the donation, Bates cites working with "Be The Match" coordinators as being one of the best parts of the process so far. The coordinators are there to support him, offer information and answer any and all questions he has. Bates has been told there could be some minor discomfort during the recovery process but is keen to let others know it's worth the pain.
"For a couple days of discomfort," Bates says, "you're giving someone an additional 50 years of life. It's well worth it."
Bates attended Arizona State from 1995-1999 earning a BA Degree in Business, as a 2-sport athlete playing Football (1995-1999) and Basketball (1996). He became the first member in his family to earn a degree from Arizona State University and continued his playing career in the NFL with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Currently Bates works in Corporate Financial Planning and Analysis and resides in Phoenix, Arizona with his wife.
Story courtesy of SDFC.
About Sun Devil Family Charities
Sun Devil Family Charities (SDFC) is an all volunteer, nonprofit organization with the purpose to support alumni, students, faculty, and staff of Arizona State University and their immediate families who need financial assistance resulting from a medical necessity. Funds raised at SDFC events help families pay for medical bills and co-pays resulting from devastating medical illnesses. Information courtesy of SDFC.
About the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP) and Be The Match
The NMDP operates the Be The Match Registry and partners with a global network of leading hospitals, cord blood banks, laboratories and recruiters. As a leader in the field of marrow and cord blood transplantation, the NMDP facilitates transplants worldwide, conducts research to improve survival and quality of life, and provides education to health care professionals and patients. Since it began operations in 1987, the NMDP has provided more than 35,000 transplants to help give patients a second chance at life. Information courtesy of SDFC.