Join WVU student pharmacists on April 26 to save a life

The West Virginia University Chapter of the National Community Pharmacists Association (NCPA) will hold a stem cell donor registration drive on Wednesday, April 26, from 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. It will be held in two locations: The Pylons from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. and the WVU Cancer Center Atrium from 1:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m. 

The drive is a collaboration with DKMS, an organization that runs a stem cell donor registry. Every year, more than 15,000 people in the US need a blood stem cell donation from an unrelated person. Donors can save or significantly prolong a patient's life by participating in this drive.

So what does being a donor entail? You will receive a packet from a volunteer. If you meet the criteria on the back of the packet, you will be asked to swab your cheek for 30 seconds. It's as easy as that! No pain, no wait, just 30 seconds to join the registry where you can save a life.

You will be placed on the registry and contacted if you become a match for a patient one day. Eighty percent of donations are an outpatient 3-4 procedure, similar to a blood donation, and 20% are bone marrow transplants. DKMS will pay for everything, and you receive your own care team for any questions and concerns.

The event's goal is to get 100 samples. The more disciplines from HSC that get involved, the more diversity we can have in our samples. Educational information will be provided to show the importance of this event and to answer any additional questions you may have.