The National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP), in partnership with the Student Athlete Advisory Committee (SAAC), held a tabling event outside Brown Hall on Nov. 11 to assist UNC Asheville students in signing up for the NMDP registry and promote the importance of the program.
“About 80% of our business happens on college campuses. UNC Asheville has been an amazing campus with SAAC and the men’s soccer team, swimming and other sports. It’s been a very successful location for us,” said Cavin Villarreal, member recruitment coordinator for NMDP.
According to Villarreal, it’s important for NMDP to come to college campuses because the students really know their campus and their community. If you can tap into a campus’s community network, you can go a lot further in getting people on board with the idea of stem cell donation, which can be daunting to many.
Donating stem cells through the NMDP can save the life of someone battling blood cancer or another serious disorder, according to the NMDP website. The first step of the donation process is providing a cheek swab sample, which is then sent to a lab to identify your tissue type to match you to a patient in need. The volunteers at the UNCA tabling event conducted 26 cheek swaps. This was an exciting turnout for Villarreal, who knows the importance of adding as many names into the registry as possible.
“Donating money is great, it goes a very long way. But with this, it’s a very tangible experience when you’re getting your peers, your classmates and other athletes and they’re eventually going to get called to donate and make a difference,” Villarreal said. “It’s a really cool thing to say hey, UNC Asheville students are literally saving lives. It’s a cool mission to get behind.”
Alex Cooke was one of the 26 UNCA students who signed up for the registry. According to Cooke, the cheek swab and subsequent questionnaire was quick and simple, but still a big decision.
“Obviously it’s a big commitment, so it does take some time to think about it. But it’s just like, if my body can help somebody else, why not use that? If you’ve got the cells that are needed, just go ahead and do it,” Cooke said.
Maddie Hamuka, cross country and track athlete and the SAAC volunteer coordinator for the event, said she was pleased with the turnout and interest expressed by students.
“It’s been really good. Given the weather, I’m very happy with how many people have shown up to both volunteer and then also to join the registry. It’s been super exciting,” Hamuka said.
