Levine Children’s Hospital (LCH) is proud to partner with the National Marrow Donor Program for the second year to host the Be The Match Marrow Drive on Friday, April 23rd from 10am-4pm in the Gorelick Conference Center.  The event is open to all Carolinas HealthCare System (CHS) employees as well as the public.

Last year’s drive was a tremendous success as over 200 CHS employees joined the Be The Match Registry, which helps patients of all ages find a match in order to receive a transplant.  Joining the registry is simple.  Participants will be asked to complete a brief medical questionnaire, watch a short video, and then provide a DNA sample (obtained by swabbing the inside of the mouth with a Q-tip swab.) The entire process takes about 20 minutes.  There is no charge associated with joining the registry. If you have already joined the registry, you do not need to register again. 

Under the direction of Andrew Gilman, M.D., Levine Children’s Hospital launched its blood and marrow transplantation program in 2008.  The rapidly growing program welcomed a second physician, Dr. Howard Grodman, in 2010.  To date, this team has successfully performed 16 bone marrow transplants.  Many more children are currently seeking the “perfect match.”          

Each year, thousands of people are diagnosed with leukemia and other life-threatening diseases.  As medical advances continue to make transplants more available to patients, it is critical to encourage community members to join the national registry – you can be the one to save a life.

For more details about the joining the Be The Match registry, please visit www.marrow.org. For questions regarding the marrow drive at Levine Children’s Hospital, please call 704-355-4048.