MINNEAPOLIS -- The Augsburg University football and baseball teams will hold a registry drive for bone marrow and stem cell donors prior to and during the Auggies' football game against the College of St. Scholastica this Saturday (Sept. 19) at Edor Nelson Field. The drive will begin at 11 a.m., and will last during the game, which kicks off at 1 p.m.
The Auggies and the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) will honor the life and legacy of Ari Chambers, celebrate longtime NMDP champion, and transplant recipient Troy Deden, an Augsburg baseball assistant coach, and invite the Augsburg community to help give patients battling blood cancers and blood disorders a second chance at life.
The event carries a special connection to Augsburg. In 2023, Ari Chambers needed a stem cell match. The Augsburg football and baseball teams came together with NMDP to help rally support for Ari and encourage people to join the NMDP registry. What began as an effort to help one young patient grew into a lasting commitment to patients and families searching for lifesaving donors. Since then, more than 25 donors have come from the Augsburg community, demonstrating the extraordinary impact one campus can have when people choose to say yes. Saturday's event will honor Ari's life and the legacy his story continues to create at Augsburg. Ari's family will also join the Augsburg community for this meaningful celebration.
The game will also recognize Deden, a transplant recipient who has championed NMDP's mission for more than 16 years. His story serves as a powerful reminder that behind every donor registration is a real patient hoping for more time—more birthdays, more holidays, more games, and more moments with the people they love.
During halftime, Deden and Ware will help share the story of Ari, the importance of joining the NMDP Registry, and the impact Augsburg students, athletes, faculty, alumni, and community members can have on patients around the world. For many donors, blood-forming stem cells are collected from the bloodstream through a process similar to plasma or platelet donation. Those healthy cells can then be transplanted into a patient battling leukemia, lymphoma, sickle cell disease, or another serious blood disorder and may offer that patient the possibility of a cure.
Joining the NMDP Registry begins with a simple cheek swab. But the most important commitment comes later: if you are ever identified as a patient's match, say YES.
