2015 Event Media Coverage

Ewing, NJ … After registering 540 people in 2015, The College of New Jersey football program will once again host its Be the Match drive on Wednesday, April 27 from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. in the South Gymnasium in Packer Hall. The drive encourages everyone from the campus and local community to register to become a possible bone marrow donor for an individual in need. This year, the team has partnered with Tri Beta Biology Honor Society and hopes to eclipse last year's number.

Those between the ages of 18 and 44 are eligible to register and the process is quick and painless. The registrants are then entered into a database to see if they are a match. The ten-minute process to register included filling out a medical history form and cotton swabbing the inside of the cheek. The swabs are sealed inside an envelope and the samples remain in a data base. Even if the registry member is not a match with someone immediately, they could be a match three to five to ten years from now.

During the event last year, Head Coach Wayne Dickens stated, "If we can register one person to be a donor, we have the opportunity to save someone's life. That is a significant impact."

That hope became a reality as TCNJ football running back Matthew Popek proved to be a match for a 9-year old girl who had leukemia and needed a bone marrow transplant (story link). Popek underwent the procedure on November 24, 2015, and following her surgery, the young girl was released from the hospital in December.

Over the past 25 years, Be The Match^®, operated by the National Marrow Donor Program^® (NMDP), has managed the largest and most diverse marrow registry in the world. They provide marrow transplants in the United States from volunteer unrelated donors to patients with leukemia, aplastic anemia and other potentially life-threatening blood diseases.

Mark your calendar for Wednesday, April 27 and visit Packer Hall to see if you might Be The Match for someone in need.