More than 3,000 people in the United States, including 30 in the St. Louis area, need a bone marrow transplant for a chance at a healthy life.
The students of the Washington University Marrow Registry are hosting its fifth annual drive in honor of Matthew Pearl.
Matthew, a second-grader from Eureka, Mo., suffers from Fanconi anemia, a rare life-threatening blood disorder for which the only treatment currently being used is bone-marrow transplant.
Matthew is in urgent need of his life-saving bone marrow transplant; so far, no match has been found.
The drive is open to the general public. Dates, times and locations are:
• Jan. 30, from 4-9 p.m. in Friedman Lounge, Wohl Student Center;
• Jan. 31, from 4-9 p.m. in Friedman Lounge, Wohl Student Center;
• Feb. 1, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in Lopata Gallery, Lopata Hall; and
• Feb. 1, from 10 a.m.-3 p.m. in Simon Hall.
Donating costs $25, which includes membership to the National Marrow Donor Program. To enroll, participants must be between 18-60 and in good health.
Participants will be asked a number of medical questions in the screening process, and a small sample of blood will be drawn to determine marrow type.
For more information, go online to sugroups.wustl.edu/~wumr.