UK College of Pharmacy Students

What is Team Be The Match?
Team Be The Match is a nationwide community committed to helping patients in need of a marrow transplant by raising funds to add more potential marrow donors to Be The Match Registry.
As of April 23, the UK Be The Match Team has raised nearly $5,000 through special events and personal requests.

By supporting the UK Team, you will help raise funds for patients in need of an unrelated marrow or umbilical cord blood transplant.  Together we have the potential to truly make a difference in the lives of thousands of men, women and children in need of a life-saving transplant.
 
What does Be The Match do?

• Be The Match works to provide hope and deliver a second chance at life to patients by:
• Recruiting and supporting potential donors: To connect patients with donors, Be The Match manages the largest and most diverse donor registry — nearly 8 million marrow donors and nearly 100,000 cord blood units. Donors can turn to their Donor Advocacy Program for support throughout the donation process.
• Supporting patients: To help patients access treatment, Be The Match offers financial support and educational resources.
• Educating doctors: Referring physicians can turn to Be The Match for information about transplant advances, caring for transplant patients and the importance of timely referral for transplant.
• Advancing science: Be The Match's research programs have advanced the science of bone marrow and cord blood transplant, from better matching the right donor to the right patient for improving post-transplant treatment.

 
Why you should help

Be The Match relies on our support to collect contributions from people like us so that it can further its mission.  Proceeds will help add more potential donors to the Be The Match Registry.  We hope you'll consider making a contribution today.  Together we can help save lives! For more information, go to http://www.bethematchfoundation.org/goto/KYpharm.

 

Kenneth, Colleen, Jamie, and Sean are second year pharmacy residents in hematology/oncology at UK HealthCare and Sarah is a third year pharmacy student at the UK College of Pharmacy.  We were paired up by the Be The Match office, because we were initially setting up donor drives on our own. We thought that if we joined forces we could really get the word out and hopefully increase the number of potential donors for patients that desparately need a match for a transplant for treatment of their blood cancers.

 
Kenneth's reason for getting involved:  I've cared for patients with hematologic malignancies both on the inpatient and outpatient side, and I've seen the difference a transplant can make for the patients and their families.  I joined the registry because I hope that someday I can be that one, special match for a patient that may need me.  I hope that everyone that reads this page will take a few minutes out of their day to either join the registry themselves or stops by one of our upcoming donor drives!

Sarah's reason for getting involved:  After hearing about Be the Match in a class lecture, I explored the website on my own. Once seeing all that they do, I found it impossible to deny saving someone’s life at no detriment to myself. I spent a day in an outpatient infusion center and after meeting a bone marrow recipient, it only solidified my decision to join the registry. Thinking back, I remembered a young boy in my church who was diagnosed with leukemia. He was diagnosed too late and even after aggressive treatment, he died shortly after. Knowing what I know now, he may have been able to pull through with help from the Be the Match Foundation. I've now made it a personal goal to help expand the registry to better the chances of finding a match for patients everywhere.