At Ross Medical Education Center in Kentwood, Michigan, the determination to be involved in the community by students, staff, and faculty is always evident. All across the campus, it’s consistently easy to find a variety of activities uniting the staff, students and faculty with their neighbors around them. Whether the focus is to fight against hunger, cancer or other diseases, the passion to create a better community is never-ending.
One of the main ways Ross connects students with the healthcare field is by hosting events with healthcare organizations. The Kentwood campus was pleased to have Caitlyn Gallagher from Be the Match come and present to their students. Be the Match, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program, helps organize and connect potential donors with those suffering from blood cancers, such as leukemia and lymphoma. Over the past 25 years, they have facilitated more than 74,000 marrow and cord blood transplants and nearly 6,400 transplants each year.
For most patients diagnosed with different blood cancers, a bone marrow or cord blood transplant is their only hope for a cure. Yet 70% of patients who need a transplant do not have a fully matched donor in their family. This is why Be the Match is so dedicated to organizing and connecting potential donors with those in need.
After the presentations, the campus had 26 potential donors register to help give hope to those with life-threatening diseases. These students join Be the Match as they continue to develop services and interactive technologies used by transplant experts around the world to reach more patients. At Ross, everyone knows that by registering they are giving the chance at life to those fighting blood cancers in their community and beyond. The staff, faculty and students look forward to welcoming Be the Match back to the Kentwood campus in the summer and adding more potential donors to the list of selfless volunteers who stand ready to be a life-saving donor.