By Correne Martin
Becoming a registered bone marrow donor is simple. It involves swabbing a person’s cheeks for 30 seconds each to collect cells for use in matching with a patient. Otherwise, all that is needed is a quick eligibility screening and a completed registration form.
New potential donors, between the ages of 18 and 55 and in good general health, are encouraged to attend a free bone marrow donor registration drive on Friday, April 8, from 1 to 4 p.m., at PdC Dentistry. Appointments are preferred but not required; call 326-8458.
“The more people we can get on the list, the better,” stated Kelly Thompson, whose aunt battled leukemia and was a bone marrow donation recipient. Thompson herself got on the national bone marrow registry at age 18 in her aunt’s honor.
Thompson noted that this drive is also being held in honor of Samson Boylen, who died of complications from leukemia. Samson was the son of Scott and Kelli Boylen.