EAST STROUDSBURG – After a successful 2021 marrow drive that totaled 498 potential donors added to the Be The Match Registry®, the East Stroudsburg University athletic department announced that it will hold the second annual #RelentlesS Get In the Game Marrow Drive in Memory of Ryan Smith and Alyssa Oxenford on Friday, September 9th.
The marrow drive, which is open to students and the public ages 18-44, will begin on Fri., Sept. 9th at 10:00 a.m. and run through 3:00 p.m. on campus, with two locations available for a basic cheek swab outside Dansbury Commons and Koehler Fieldhouse. Both locations will be moved inside if there is inclement weather.
The second annual drive is named in memory of two fallen Warriors. Ryan Smith, a former men's basketball student-athlete at ESU, battled acute myeloid leukemia (AML) for 19 months until his passing on March 22, 2021. Alyssa Oxenford, a three-year starter for the ESU lacrosse team from 2012-14, was diagnosed with leukemia in May 2014, passed away 15 months later on August 22, 2015.
"Be the Match is a wonderful organization doing amazing work.," said ESU Lacrosse head coach Xeni Barakos-Yoder. "We are honored to be remembering Alyssa and Ryan as we raise awareness and grow the list of registries' in the match bank. We hope our participation can help save lives across the country and do that in their honor."
Over the past four years, ESU has recorded 941 registrations and two life-saving donors were found. Over the past 14 years, Get In the Game has totaled 155,020 registrations and 880 life-saving donors, including ESU director of athletics, Dr. Allen Snook.
"I have been associated with this incredible organization Be the Match for the past 13 years," said Dr. Snook. "It was at an event identical to this that I registered and two years later on April 5, 2011, I myself donated to an individual in need. I was so moved by the organization and their mission to help people in need, that I have continued to do research with them along with their Biotherapies division. I would ask that if you are able and willing, please consider becoming a part of the registration database."
Student-athlete volunteers from ESU's 22 teams will help run the event to bring awareness on how easy it is to register to be a donor that will help patients with a life-threatening blood cancer or disease.A total of 498 potential donors were added to the Be The Match Registry® during the first #RelentlesS Get in the Game Marrow Drive. It was the first athletic department-wide initiative event that the Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation has partnered with. An average drive usually nets around 100 potential donors.
"The success of ESU's GITG drive shows the nation exactly what happens when the entire campus community comes together to save lives," said Krista Ross, Executive Director of The Andy Talley Bone Marrow Foundation following the 2021 event. "Typically, our drives have encompassed the support of the football team. These events have been very successful. ESU's event however will absolutely be used as a guide to show our schools how to incorporate the support of athletics as a whole. They are an example of excellence! We are honored to work with the ESU community. If statistics hold true, ESU's event will result in three lives being saved via transplant in the near future."
Be The Match has been supported by former Villanova Football Head Coach Andy Talley, who has dedicated 30 years to raising awareness about the need for blood stem cell and marrow donors. Get In The Game harnesses the power of collegiate athletics to rally students and staff on campuses around lifesaving bone marrow donation. Through Get In The Game, more than 110,000 people have registered for the national registry and more than 800 donors have gone on to give patients a potential cure through transplant. Each year, approximately 12,000 patients with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases depend on the Be The Match Registry to find a matching donor and Get In The Game aims to increase the likelihood that all patients receive the life-saving transplants they need.
Those who cannot attend the marrow drive can register for a kit to be mailed to their address by texting "ESUSAVES" to 61474.
About Be The Match
For people with life-threatening blood cancers—like leukemia and lymphoma—or other diseases, a cure exists. Be The Match connects patients with their donor match for a life-saving marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant. People can contribute to the cure as a member of the Be The Match Registry, financial contributor or volunteer. Be The Match provides patients and their families one-on-one support, education, and guidance before, during and after transplant.
Be The Match is operated by the National Marrow Donor Program® (NMDP), a nonprofit organization that matches patients with donors, educates health care professionals and conducts research so more lives can be saved. To learn more about the cure, visit BeTheMatch.org or call 1 (800) MARROW-2.
