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Juniors Bring Gift of Life Marrow Registry to Campus

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Juniors Bring Gift of Life Marrow Registry to Campus
Juniors Bring Gift of Life Marrow Registry to Campus
On September 24, Belmont Hill hosted Gift of Life, an organization dedicated to curing blood cancer through cellular therapy. With a simple cheek swab at the Gift of Life table, volunteers join the organization’s registry to be called upon when they are a potential lifesaving match with a person in dire need. 
 
The event was the passion project of juniors Tyler Aronoff, Thomas Egan, and Sean Park, who brought the organization to campus. By collaborating with Director of Health Services Emi White to align the event with the annual on-campus flu shots, the boys made it even easier for eligible 18 to 35 year-old members of the community to step up and swab. 
 
“What really stood out to us about their mission was just how efficient it is,” Tyler said. “Years ago, if someone had been diagnosed with blood cancer or another separate blood disease, a doctor would have said that they only had a couple years left to live, or even a few months. Now, thanks to the registry, if you have such a disease, finding a donor becomes something fathomable.”
 
Tyler first learned of the organization from a friend who brought Gift of Life to her school. That particular drive ultimately led to three successful matches between donors and people in need. That tangible impact of Gift of Life events made Tyler, Sean, and Thomas all the more motivated to bring something similar to the Hill. 
 
“Even if we could get one match from the pool of people who joined the registry, we could help save someone's life,” Tyler noted. “That alone was our primary motivation.”
 
While it will take time to determine how many of the Belmont Hill volunteers will make a successful match, Tyler hopes that even having the organization on campus will help extend their reach. 
 
“If students can tell their friends and family, their friends and family can then tell their friends and family, and this chain of events goes on, thereby bringing more awareness to the hardships people with blood diseases endure every day, but also more donations to save their lives.”
 
To learn more about the organization and ways to support their efforts, please visit the Gift of Life website.

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