Central Peninsula Hospital will host a bone marrow drive Friday. The event provides an opportunity for people aged 18 to 40 to register for the National Marrow Donor Program. That’s a network of over 40 million potential bone marrow and stem cell donors.
Friday will be the second time this year the hospital has held a bone marrow drive. The hospital decided to host a second drive after local nurse and business owner Venessa Shanahan was diagnosed with leukemia, a type of cancer that can form in bone marrow. She has not found a match for a stem cell donor.
Kelly Marre is an oncology social worker at Central Peninsula Hospital who organized the drive.
“When you make it a personal story about somebody that others might know, they’re more inclined to want to help," she said. "With Venenssa’s permission, we used her name and her story to bring more attention to the need to get more people on the registry.”
Marre says that 70% of people in need of a bone marrow transplant can’t find a match within their own family. She says registering to be a donor requires a cheek swab, which takes less than five minutes.
“Even if the people that come this Friday to register cannot help Venessa, there are so many children and adults out there that need a match," Marre said. "And, it doesn’t take much to be a donor.”
This Friday’s bone marrow drive will run from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the hospital’s Denali Room inside the Mountain Tower. If you're unable to attend but would still like to register for the National Marrow Donor Program, contact Central Peninsula Hospital’s oncology department.
