ONLINE REGISTRATION
BE THE MATCH SITE

MINNEAPOLIS -- The Augsburg College baseball team is hosting its third annual "Swab A Cheek, Save A Life" registry drive for potential bone marrow donors with the Be The Match organization this Wednesday and Thursday (10/30-31) on the Augsburg campus.

The drive will be held on Wednesday and Thursday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Christensen Center lobby, and from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Kennedy Center athletic building (follow the signs).

No appointments are necessary to take part in the bone marrow registry drive. It takes only 20 minutes to join the registry, which involves filling out a confidential registration and consent form, then submitting a painless cheek swab. Donors between the ages of 18 to 60 who meet health guidelines are encouraged to participate, especially racially or ethnically diverse donors (Click this link for more information about the Be The Match registry). Tax-deductible monetary donations can also be accepted.

By taking part in the Be The Match registry, participants can join the effort to give a life-saving bone marrow transplant to those dealing with leukemia or other life-threatening diseases. The most common way of donating marrow now to a patient, should participants get a call that they are a match, is now a procedure very similar to donating blood, plasma and platelets.

The Augsburg baseball program has a close tie to the Be The Match program. Assistant coach Troy Deden '07 is a bone marrow transplant recipient. A two-time All-MIAC catcher and All-Midwest Region third-team honoree in 2005, Deden was diagnosed with leukemia in 2008 and underwent a bone marrow transplant in 2009. (Read a profile of Deden and the Be The Match effort from 2011).

For more information on the Be The Match drive, contact Kristine Reed, Be The Match representative, at 612-616-6534 or kreed2@nmdp.org; ; or Augsburg baseball assistant coach Troy Deden at deden@augsburg.edu.