Save lives by registering to donate bone marrow this weekend

(ABC 6 News) – A call is being put out for bone marrow donors.

The Indian Cultural Association of Minnesota is putting on a bone marrow donor registry drive this Sunday at 125 Live.

Mayo Clinic treats around 150,000 people a year for blood diseases and cancers. While some people may be able to get stem cell treatment from within their family’s genetic match, others cannot. That is why drive such as Be The Match can make a huge difference in a patients treatment plan.

“Only 30 percent of blood cancer patients have a match donor in their family, so the other 70 percent are looking for a genetically matched donor outside their family and we can help them,” Seema Kumar with the Indian Cultural Association of Minnesota said.

Be The Match is asking for donors to only be in the age 18 to 40 range as they can provide the healthiest genetic match for stem cell donations.

The donation runs from 10:00 AM to 2:00 PM Sunday, April 16^th. You can register by texting match for hope to 61474.