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TEAMCONNOR PARTNERS WITH DKMS TO HOST BONE MARROW DONOR DRIVE

TeamConnor is partnering with DKMS to host a bone marrow donor drive in an effort to match donors with patients in need of the life-saving treatment. The bone marrow donor drive will run virtually online October 19th - October 25th. Individuals between the ages of 18-55 years old may also swing by onsite at the III Forks Golf Classic at Gleneagles Country Club, Monday, October 19th from 10:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Donors will be able to pick up a packet, return to their cars to safely and privately fill out the form and swab their cheek in a COVID-19 safe manner.

The bone marrow drive will run virtually October 19th - October 25th. Anyone in good health between the ages of 18 - 55 can sign up as a potential donor. A kit can be sent to the donor’s address within three weeks with a postage paid envelope. A cheek cell sample is collected by the donor at home, and once the sample is tested, the donor will be placed in a national donor pool. Doctors search the database to find a matching donor for their patients. More information can be found at the DKMS website. 

“My family’s journey with cancer began in 2005 when our four-year-old son, Connor, was diagnosed with neuroblastoma.” said Tait Cruse. “Connor lost his battle with cancer in July 2009 when he was just eight years old. But his legacy continues through the TeamConnor Childhood Cancer Foundation. Together, we have funded more than $3 million dollars in research grants to give pediatric cancer patients a fighting chance. Ironically, in July 2020, I was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia (ALL) and Lymphoma. Like 70% of patients with blood cancer, I do not have a perfect matching donor in my family, and there is not currently a matching donor in the national database. In fact, there are 15,000 patients, like me, currently searching for an unrelated donor.”

DKMS is the world’s largest bone marrow and blood stem cell donor center, worldwide. Quick facts about the need for more donors: 

  • Every 27 seconds, someone in the U.S. is diagnosed with a blood cancer. 

  • More than 50,000 people die from blood cancer in the U.S. every year.

  • Only 30% of patients find a matching donor within their family. 

  • A bone marrow or stem cell transplant can be a lifesaving treatment for blood cancer and approximately 70 other diseases. 

Childhood cancer is the number one disease killer of children, yet the federal government allocates less than four percent of its funds to pediatric cancer research. TeamConnor will host the 10th Annual Northwestern Mutual Clay Shoot on November 2, 2020. For more information on TeamConnor events, contact Sydney Little, special events and outreach coordinator, at slittle@teamconnor.org or (972) 663-7302.  

For more information on how to join the fight against childhood cancer, visit teamconnor.org or follow TeamConnor on  Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn or Facebook.

DKMS is an international non-profit organization dedicated to the fight against blood cancer. Founded in 1991 in Germany by Dr. Peter Harf, DKMS has expanded internationally by establishing entities in the US, Poland, the UK, Chile, together with BMST in India and in South Africa together with The Sunflower Fund partnered by DKMS. Together, they have registered more than 10.7 million potential blood stem cell donors and have given more than 87,000 patients across the globe a second chance at life by facilitating blood stem cell transplants.

 

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Friday, 16 October 2020