National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP)

Formerly known as Be The Match, the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) is a nonprofit dedicated to helping patients who need blood cell or bone marrow transplants to find potential donors. These transplants can be a valuable treatment option for people battling leukemia, lymphoma, other blood cancers, and serious blood disorders.

 

Calvin's chapter of NMDP works to raise awareness within the Calvin community about these issues while also working to educate people, especially students, on what it means to be a possible bone marrow or stem cell donor. By encouraging and informing students, NMDP at Calvin works to recruit donors who can combat blood cancers and serious disorders while allowing students the opportunity to make a meaningful difference in someone's life.

One of the main goals of NMDP at Calvin is to encourage eligible students to consider joining the NMDP Registry. When someone joins the registry, they become a potential donor who could one day be matched with a patient in need. Because finding a compatible donor can be difficult, having more people join the registry increases the number of potential matches that are available to patients. A diverse registry is especially important because a patient's chances of finding a compatible donor are influenced by their genetic background.

Donating blood stem cells can potentially save the life of someone battling blood cancer or another serious disorder. Although the idea of donating stem cells may seem intimidating, the body naturally replaces the donated cells. For many donors, the process of donation is temporary, but for a patient receiving a compatible transplant, it can be life-changing and offer the opportunity for a healthier future.

Be a part. Find cures. Save lives.