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Members of the Leatherneck Football team and the WIU Be the Match on Campus chapter signed up more than 300 individuals during the 2014 "Get In the Game" event on campus.
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JJ Veloz
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"Get in the Game. Save a Life." WIU Football, WIU Be the Match Chapter Join Forces: WIU Football Player Selected as Bone Marrow Donor as Part of Be the Match

April 16, 2015

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MACOMB, IL -- Because of one Western Illinois University Leatherneck Football player signing up during the inaugural "Get in the Game. Save a Life." bone marrow drive on the WIU campus last spring, an infant will get the lifesaving transplant he needs. Members of the WIU football team and Western's Be the Match on Campus chapter are again joining forces to host a bone marrow donor registry program drive Thursday, April 23 as part of the national "Get in the Game" initiative, which was created in 2013 by Villanova Coach Andrew Talley.

Western's drive will be held from 11 a.m.-6 p.m. in the WIU Student Recreation Center's Keeney and Colgate rooms (east entrance). Sponsored by the Be the Match bone marrow donor registry program, the partnership with football teams across the nation is designed to increase the number of registered donors in the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP). In addition to the April 23 drive, the WIU chapter will collect monetary donations during the tailgating event Friday, April 24 prior to the 7 p.m. Leatherneck Football Spring Game, and will be in the stands during a special half-time presentation to collect donations.

During last year's drive, WIU Leatherneck defensive lineman JJ Veloz, a sophomore from Oak Creek, WI, signed up to be a bone marrow registry donor. Two months ago, he was contacted by the national organization as he was a possible match for an infant, who is less than 1 year old, who has a rare autoimmune disease. Last week after practice, Veloz received a call that he was found to be a perfect match. He will donate bone marrow in June.

"There was really no second guessing or doubting that I would do it. Once I signed up for Be the Match, I knew I was committing myself. I put myself in the child's place, as well as the parents. I know that if my child was born with such a disease, I would want whatever possible treatment to be done. and I wouldn't be able to sleep until I found something to help," Veloz said. "I believe everyone should sign up. I have the opportunity to give the greatest gift: life, and I believe it is my duty as a human being to do whatever I can to make not only my life, but others' lives better as well. We are all connected. Hopefully my donation will inspire others to sign up and follow through if they get that call."

To become a part of the national bone marrow registry, an individual must register and then complete a simple test in which the inside of the mouth is swabbed and the DNA sample is entered into a registry. The drive is open to all campus and surrounding community members. While the WIU drive targets those donors who are between the ages 18-44, ages 45+ can still register for a $100 fee. According to bethematch.org, this is based on medical research that shows younger donors are best for patients and provide the greatest chance for transplant success. Diverse members are especially needed since patients will most likely find a match within their own race and ethnicity.

Be The Match Registry/Be the Match on Campus is operated by the NMDP, a nonprofit organization dedicated to creating an opportunity for all patients to receive the marrow transplant they need, when they need it. It is the largest and most diverse donor registry in the world.

"We're excited to partner with Be the Match and college football programs across the country for our second 'Get in the Game. Save a Life.' campaign," said WIU Head Coach Bob Nielson. "Last year's campaign was extremely successful as we registered more than 300 people for the bone marrow registry, and this year we hope to go above and beyond. Our campus received a national award for our efforts last year, and we're very proud of the work that the WIU Be the Match chapter and our football team did to help our campus achieve that recognition."

According to Grant Severs, the president and co-founder of WIU's Be the Match chapter, a patient's likelihood of finding a matching donor on the Be The Match Registry is estimated to range from 66-93 percent. Since WIU's chapter was established in Fall 2013, nearly 575 individuals have heeded the Be the Match call to register as bone marrow donors and the group has raised more than $5,200.

"We are thrilled to partner with the Leatherneck Football Team again this year as the players did an incredible job last year recruiting new donors," Severs added.

According to Be the Match, each year more than 12,000 patients are diagnosed with a life-threatening disease, such as leukemia, whose best hope for a cure is a marrow transplant. Patients who have no matching marrow donor within their family often turn to the Be the Match registry program. Through the efforts of "Get in the Game. Save a Life.", players and others on colleges campuses across the nation can save the life of a patient in need of a marrow transplant.

In addition to registering as a bone marrow donor, individuals can text MATCH WIU to 50555 for a $10 donation for WIU's Be The Match on Campus to help fund the bone marrow drive.* Contributions may also be made at bethematchoncampus.org/wiu.

For more information, visit bethematch.org.

* Charges will appear on the user's wireless bill or will be deducted from the prepaid balance. All purchases must be authorized by the account holder. Must be 18 years of age or have parental permission to participate. Message and data rates may apply. Text STOP to 50555 to STOP. Text HELP to 50555 for HELP. Full terms and privacy: www.mGive.org/T and https://mgive.org/privacy.aspx

Posted By: University Communications (U-Communications@wiu.edu)
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