University of Connecticut Athletics
Bone Marrow Drive Set for Feb. 11
2/8/2019 10:13:00 AM | General, Student-Athlete Advisory Committee
On Monday, February 11th, the Student-Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC) will be hosting its first ever Bone Marrow Drive in association with the Be the Match Foundation. The event will take place on the second floor of the bookstore from 10-4 and is open to the public.
SAAC has partnered with several other student organizations to host the event including the Student Nurses Association, the HealthCare Management Society, and the Pre-Medical Society.
The process is completely noninvasive that starts with registering online via e-paperwork that takes approximately 10 minutes to complete. The potential donor will then receive swabs in the mail that they will swab the inside of their cheek with and then place in the baggy that came with it.
This event will not simply change the lives of those it has the potential to save but those who helped make it happen as well.
"Helping this cause has given me more than I could ever imagine," said freshman Hollis Wivell of UConn softball. "It means so much to me to have the chance to not just help raise awareness for blood cancers and the donation process but to be able to physically participate in something greater than myself. I honestly cannot articulate well enough the profound impact helping with this effort has had on me and my personal growth."
All those who attend and sign up to be a potential donor have the ability to make a great impact in the lives of many people and families. By taking 10 short minutes out of your day on Monday, you have a chance to be a patient's perfect match.
"As division-one athletes, we tend to get so caught up in the chaos and demands of training, academics, traveling and competing that we often forget to take a step back and realize how much we have to be grateful for," said Wivell.
Whether it's 30 or 300 people that walk through the door on Monday, in Wivell's eyes, this event is already a success for the sheer fact that it's happening.
